


Living Hell

by Mikuxmew85



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Abandonment, Adoption, Auric cells, Betrayal, Bloodweb, Childhood Friends, Confusion, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, I'm not good at tagging, Mori - Freeform, Murder, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Partial Nudity, Psychological Torture, Rituals, Sadness, Slow Burn, Survivors, The Entity - Freeform, Torture, a new take on the bloodweb, archive, as realistic as you could be anyway, exploration of the entity's realm, killers, survivor friends, wanted to remain somewhat realistic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 98,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21565474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikuxmew85/pseuds/Mikuxmew85
Summary: When another Survivor is taken by the Entity, how will her new living hell pan out when she finds out she has a past with one of the Killers now hungry for her blood and repeated death? The only thing known for sure is freedom is a must.(I couldn't think of a better summary.)
Relationships: Frank Morrison/Original Character(s)
Comments: 115
Kudos: 84





	1. Calgary

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Welcome to my Dead by Daylight fanfiction. This is the first fanfiction that I've ever really written for Dead by Daylight. The idea came to me after reading many other fics for hot minutes. It's going to start out slow, because if you've ready any of my other fics, you'd know that shit can go from 0 to 100 so fast, but it still ends up being a slow burn in a way. Anyway, welcome again.
> 
> (Sorry, I suck at all these summaries since I've been exhausted with writing. In a good way.)

Car rides were supposed to be fun. Coloring. Laughing. Listening to the radio. Snacks. Seeing new places. That was a recipe for fun. That wasn’t to say that they couldn’t be aggravating at the same time. Between the frequent rest stops and the restlessness, a child could get rowdy or rambunctious. Either way, it was a way for loved ones to spend time together. Collectively, she loved going on trips. Her excitement could be equated sometimes to an excited puppy going on car rides. This time was no different. She looked around from her car seat in the back at the passing scenery. In her small hands was a juice box that the nice lady behind the wheel had bought her before their car ride.

The lady was a friend of her parents. This was the first time that they had met though. But the lady seemed nice enough. She had made sure that the car’s comfort was at the optimal level as they continued along the snowy pathways. The woman was driving carefully, making sure not to hit any potholes or any ice; just anything that would cause the young girl in the back some discomfort.

“Are you alright back there, Lailah?” She asked.

“Yeah!” She bounced her legs and smiled. “I really like going on car rides.”

“That’s good. How’s your apple juice?” The lady asked, looking at Lailah from the rearview mirror.

“It’s way good. Thank you for getting it for me, Miss Miranda.”

“I’m glad you like it, Lailah.”

As the car ride got longer, the young girl’s head started to loll forward. Her juice box had been emptied long ago and was barely in her hand as she started to nod off. The scenery turned into a single length of white, fluffy snow. Dotted across the white blanket of snow every now and again was a leafless tree. The warmth of the car, her full stomach, and the lack of interactive sights in the scenery added to her increasing sleepiness. Lailah was supposed to stay with Miss Miranda for a night while her parents did some sort of housework. They told her not to worry about it, and she didn’t. All that was boring adult stuff. How far did Miss Miranda live anyway? Before she could think of many more questions, she ended falling asleep.

“Lailah?” A voice called her awake.

“…Mommy?”

“Lailah, are you awake?”

Her blue eyes opened slowly. In front of her was Miss Miranda with a bright, white smile. It was contagious and she found herself smiling tiredly. She reached inside and undid her car seat and helped her out of the warm car and to the chilled air outside.

Lailah rubbed her tired eyes and looked around. The house was huge. She was sure that it was at least three stories. Out in the back was a playground; a slide, a swing set, some monkey bars, and a see saw. She gasped and took in the scenery. A couple kids were at the playground in the back building a snowman. A bright smile came to her face again. It looked like so much fun! Instantly, she was awake. The need to go and play was intense and from the look in Miss Miranda’s eyes, she was going to be able to play soon. Lailah didn’t have too many friends, so it would be nice to make some more in Miss Miranda’s house. Her mommy didn’t tell her that she had so many kids. When she got home, she’d have to tell her mommy all about it and all the nice people she got to meet.

“Ready to go inside?” Miss Miranda asked.

“Yeah!”

Miss Miranda carried a couple of bags that were picked when she left home. It made sense. Wearing the same clothes all the time after playing for a long time outside was ucky. She wondered what sort of pretty outfits other girls would be wearing. She followed Miss Miranda inside. It was warm. There was a woman that greeted them. She was around her mommy’s age and had really nice black hair and green eyes. Lailah returned the smile that was just as warm as the house.

“Lailah, this is my friend. This is Mrs. Sanchez.”

“Hi, Mrs. Sanchez!” Lailah waved a gloved hand. “My name is Lailah!”

“Hello, Lailah. It’s nice to meet you.” There was a pause as she looked at Lailah. “Do you want to go outside and play with the other kids?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay, good.”

Mrs. Sanchez walked her through the large house. There was a room that had a huge couch and a big TV. Blocks and toys of different types littered the floor. They moved passed a table with many chairs. Lailah was excited. She’d never eaten or been around so many kids before. Her mommy and daddy would love hearing about all the friends that she made and how pretty the house was!

In the back where the playground was, a man with tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes welcomed her outside with a smile. Lailah hopped outside and awkwardly waved to the man.

“Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

“Hi! My name is Lailah!” She said.

“Well, hey there Lailah.” The man said.

“You have way lots kids! It’s the most I’ve seen!”

The man chuckled.  
“Well, I guess we do. And that’s good. I’m sure you’ll make many friends. Go ahead and try.”

Lailah had been gung-ho about it until she saw all the kids playing around in the snow. There were so many different kids. They all looked like they were having a lot of fun. Some were playing tag. Others were playing in the snow. Some were on the monkey bars. Two were on the see saw. Nervousness set in. What if they didn’t like her? She could always try really, super hard to make friends. However, if they didn’t like her, what was she supposed to do? There wasn’t really a way to force someone to like you. That wasn’t fair to the other person either.

Mr. Sanchez gently pushed her towards the other kids.  
“Go on. They won’t bite.”

“O-Oh. Okay.”

Lailah took a couple steps. Her breathing misting as it hit the cold air. She tried to focus on that instead for now. Her blue eyes scanned around the backyard, trying to find someone that she could approach. Each group was split up into people that had already become friends. Another couple of steps. One of the kids was playing in the snow. He looked like he was creating a snowman, but he looked confused and somewhat worried. One of her favorite things was to go and help. She’d help her mommy in the kitchen all the time and when her daddy was trying to put things in easier places—he called it “organizing”.

She bit her lip and walked over to the boy, stopping a few times on her way. He was looking on the ground around his snowman for something. He didn’t notice her, which only worried Lailah more. Would he tell her to go away if she did make herself known? Lailah scooted closer and reached over and tapped his back when he was turned away from her. The boy turned around swiftly and looked at her, almost making Lailah flinch from the rapid movement.

The boy was dressed in a comfortable looking gray snow outfit. His brown hair was long enough to cover his ears and his brown eyes were looking at her at first with irritation and then confusion. He tilted his head to the side and blinked. Then turned it to the other side.

“Who are you?” He asked, his tone rather defensive.

“I’m Lailah.” She smiled awkwardly.

“…Frank.”

“Hi, Frank.” Lailah waved. “Whatcha looking for?”

“Sticks.”

“How come?”

“I want my snowman to have arms.” He said matter-of-factly.

“Can I help?” Lailah asked, wondering if it was a good idea to talk to this boy.

“Yeah. Can you look over there? I want big long ones, like this.” Frank widened his arms and nodded.

Lailah nodded in response and walked over to a spot a little bit away from Frank and started looking around. She got down on her knees and looked underneath a bush as the other branches were still attached to the main stalk. Tugging out a couple of branches, she ended up tossing a couple to the side since they weren’t the same size as Frank showed her. If she did this pretty good, maybe he’d want to be friends with her. That would be nice. He seemed like a nice person. She thought that they’d get along well. When she found four sticks of varying length close to what Frank had shown her, she took them back over to the snowman and showed them to the boy who gave a definitive nod.

“Good.”

“… Can I help?”

“Huh?” Frank asked, taking one of the sticks. “I thought I already told you ‘yeah’. Isn’t the reason you went and got the sticks?”

“I-I meant with all of it.” Lailah clarified.

“How many times do I gotta tell you that I said ‘yeah’.” Frank scoffed. “Girls are confusing…”

Lailah nodded, a bright smile coming to her face. She put down the sticks on the ground and gathered one and stabbed it in his side, pushing it up so that his arm was high enough, so it didn’t look strange. It was the first time that she had ever done something like this. Her mommy and daddy didn’t like the snow, so she didn’t really have help with snowmen before. She usually ended up making snow angels by herself. Once her mommy found out that she was going to have another baby, she didn’t want to play outside anymore.

“This is fun.” Lailah said and stabbed another stick into the snowman’s side.

“Snowmen only have two arms, weirdo.”

“Why can’t they have four?”

“…”

“He can be a snow alien. That’s cooler.”

Frank blinked at her and snorted a laugh.  
“You’re weird.”

“…Oh…” Lailah’s face fell.

“I like it. Let’s do it.”

Frank stabbed another stick into the snowman’s side. By the time Frank and Lailah were done with the sticks, their snowman had transformed from a snow alien to a snow spider alien. Mr. Sanchez had given them a carrot to stick in for his nose. Frank had to do that part since he was taller than her. While they played, she had found many small pebbles around the base of the bushes and strewn here and there. Both her and Frank sat in the snow and started picking through them. They agreed that only the best were going to go on their snow spider alien’s face. He would have to look extra good for the rest of the spider aliens.

Since they were all covered in snow, it was hard to pick all the shinest ones because they had to make sure that all the snow and the remaining water was brushed off before sorting through the shininess. Once they picked it, Frank put all the best on the face. Lailah was tall enough to put the buttons on him. After the last stone was placed on his abdomen, she stood a bit further back with Frank and looked at the finished product. It was quite possibly the strangest snow creature that had ever been created, but they were quite proud of it. Mr. Sanchez even came out and took a picture of their strange creature.

“Kids, come on in!” Mrs. Sanchez opened the back door and called everyone.

All the kids turned and ran towards the door, shocking Lailah and making her back up. It was like a child stampede. Frank watched her and tilted his head again when she backed up. Once it was clear of the kids, he walked ahead of her and Lailah followed close behind. The warmth greeted them, making her smile and let out an exhale.

“Go ahead and wash up for dinner.”

“I’m staying for dinner?” Lailah said and scrunched up when Frank scoffed.

“Uh… yeah. Clearly?”

“Go ahead and put up your coat here, Lailah.” Mr. Sanchez said and tapped the coat rack filled with coats of different colors and patterns.

Some sort of feeling gripped into her chest and she put her gloves on the counter where the rest of them were at. Lailah followed Frank who seemed to move through the motions like he’d done it his whole life. She went up the stairs since one bathroom was filled with kids. In the second one, her and Frank had to move around the other kids. They washed their hands and Frank led her back down the dining room. They all took their seats and Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez helped serve the food.

The food looked great. Her mommy or daddy didn’t make the best food. This looked great. Lailah really loved rice. She loved veggies too. She took her fork and spoon and ate at her food. It had been a while since she’d had an actual meal too. A lot of the time at home she’d just snack or have some mac and cheese. She devoured her food in no time and was on her second plate by the time the other kids had almost been done with their first. Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez, some of the other kids, and Frank were watching her eat. She drank her water and kicked her legs back and forth before Mrs. Sanchez gave her some more water. Lailah smiled bright once more and finished her food.

Mr. Sanchez helped the kids gather their dishes and put them in the sink. Lailah looked over at Frank and rubbed her eyes.  
“I hope you can come to my house one time and we can play lots more, Frank.”

“…” Frank’s brows furrowed and he looked down.

“Mrs. Sanchez. When can I go home?” Lailah asked.

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes opened wide as she looked at Lailah. Something set wrong in her stomach. It settled like a hot coal in the pit of her stomach. Frank didn’t say anything and neither did Mr. or Mrs. Sanchez. She looked between them and started to get extremely worried. Her heartbeat quickened against her ribs. Why wasn’t anyone saying anything? Why did they just look at her?

“Sweetie… this _is_ your home now.” Mr. Sanchez said.

“N-No, it’s not. My home is with my mommy and my daddy.” Lailah’s voice cracked.

“…Your mommy and daddy…” Mrs. Sanchez was unsure on how to begin.

“They entrusted you with us.” Mr. Sanchez finished.

“B-But… that’s only for a little bit right? I can go home after a couple days, right?” Lailah was becoming frantic. “Where’s Miss Miranda?! Why won’t she take me home?!”

“Miss Miranda was told by your parents to bring you to us.”

Big, hot tears filled her eyes and immediately fell down her face. She screamed out as her cries turned to wailing. She wiped away her tears, only for them to be replaced by even more tears. Her face flamed red. Part from embarrassment at her parents leaving her, the other part because of the intensity of her tears. Her head started to throb, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop crying. Hiccups of sadness escaped her lips. Her nose was stuffy making it harder to breathe. Lailah’s inability to breathe made her cough and start gagging.

“Why?!” She screamed. “I was a good girl! What did I do?! I want my mommy and daddy!”

“Lailah, calm down…” Mr. Sanchez tried to console.

“No!” Lailah screamed back. “I’m sorry Mommy! I’m sorry Daddy! I’ll be better! I’ll be better, I promise!”

Her crying was calling the attention of the other kids that were nearby. Now it all made sense. Her clothing being brought. Why she had never met her mommy’s “friend”. The long car ride. All of it. The huge house and the expansive amount of toys and child items around the large house. Lailah sobbed so hard that the gagging continued and she ended up spitting up some of her dinner.

“Come on, sweetie. We’ll get you a bath and to bed.” Mrs. Sanchez said.

Lailah wanted to tear her hand away from her, but the warmth of the hand kept the grip intact. Her hiccups escalated to sobs and back down; a complete roller coaster of realizing she had been abandoned. By the very people that were supposed to love her. The very people that were supposed to cherish her above anything else. The only bit of consoling factor was that every other kid here was in the same position. But… had they been lied too as well as abandoned? Mrs. Sanchez helped her get dressed and helped lead her to where her belongings were at and her bed. Her stuffed cat was sitting on the top and she ran over to it and pulled it close to her and dove underneath the covers of her new bed. It was more comfortable than the bed she had at home… or… her old home. The tears started again, and she pulled the blanket over her head, not wanting to see any of it. Tomorrow… she would be back with her mommy and daddy. This was just a dream.

“… Hey, uh…” A muffled voice came from beyond her blanket cocoon. It was Frank. “It gets better Lailah.”

_My mommy and daddy hate me… how can that get better?!_

Sounds of retreating footsteps from beyond her blankets made more tears fall. She was all alone now. Footsteps came back, but nothing was said. Lailah’s frantic crying had left her hiccupping and exhausted. It didn’t take her long to pass out and let oblivion overtake her.

_Mommy… Daddy… I’m so sorry…_


	2. Buddy System

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why didn’t my mom and dad want me?”
> 
> “…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Thanks for returning for chapter 2 of this fic. It's something that I've been anxious and wanting to write, but worried. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter.

Her night had been plagued with nightmares. In many of them, she was with her parents. They were having a great time; she was at a park, at the aquarium, or a pool. It was always some place for families to gather and have some fun. Family time was one of her favorite things. However… it must not have been for her parents. In each nightmare, she would turn around to talk to one of them and she would be alone. There was no one near and no matter how hard she searched for her family or how many people that she pushed through, there was no finding them. No matter how many tears she cried or how much she screamed, there was no sight of them.

Tears coated her pillow. Her face was wet, and her hair was stuck to her cheeks. While she had been unconscious the whole night, Lailah had barely slept. So, when the lights flickered on in the children’s rooms, the bright light that lit her blanket didn’t take much for her to wake. Her eyes were puffy and red; her body clearly exhausted just as much as her brain. Mrs. Sanchez got the older kids up and started to help rally the smaller ones towards the bathroom while the preteens got themselves ready.

“What are you doing?” Lailah peeked out an eye from her blanket.

A few feet from where she was laying in her bed, a small cocoon of blankets with a pillow tucked in the center of it lay. A single hole in the center with blankets all fluffed around for maximum comfort on each side. It reminded her of a hamster that made a bed in the corner of its cage. Nestled into the center was a lounged body that looked both bored and tired.

“…I was sleeping.” He said matter-of-factly.

“You know what I meant, Frank.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “Why are you out of bed? Did you sleep on the floor?”

“Yeah.” Frank sounded almost bored with the conversation.

“Why?”

Lailah watched Frank Hamster adjust in his cocoon. Her cries had stopped and was replaced with curiosity. From knowing him for one day, he seemed like the one who followed the rules to the bare minimum; just skirting by enough to stay out of trouble. Mrs. Sanchez must’ve been used to it because she simply sighed. Frank looked from their caretaker to where she lay bundled underneath her blanket and gave her a weird look that she couldn’t place. Unable to process the look and the events of the previous day, she pulled the blanket back down; obscuring her vision and leaving her in the comfort of her warmth again.

“I like the floor.” Frank said simply.

“The wood floor?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, a strange tone to her voice.

“…Yeah.”

Lailah heard a sigh from behind her blanket.  
“Alright. Get up and get ready for breakfast.” Footsteps came forward. “Lailah, do you want breakfast?”

Yesterday, she was having a meal with her family. Now… she was alone. Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez were nice and the food that she had for dinner was great. But, she missed her parents. She hugged her stuffed animal to her chest. It was nice that they were giving her the choice to come and eat instead of forcing her. Lailah knew that she should come down and eat, but—

“Good.” Mrs. Sanchez said when Lailah nodded.

Keeping her stuffed animal to her chest, she pulled the covers from her head and slid out of bed. It felt like everyone, even the other kids, were looking at her. Being a spectacle was one of her least favorite things for her. It terrified her. Mrs. Sanchez gave her a gentle smile. She didn’t rush Lailah into getting downstairs or anything else. She was allowed to move at her own pace.

“Frank, you too. Up.”

Adjusting to life without your parents or any of your family was harder than it sounded. Slowly, Lailah managed to get used to the schedule set up by Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez. Just as slowly, she ended up opening up to them and talking to them about things that started to worry her. On the other side of the token, she warmed up to Frank rather quickly. The feeling was mutual. So, once Adam Lettings ended up getting lost in town for a few hours, Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez implemented the buddy system. Naturally, Frank and Lailah were paired together.

The two children couldn’t be further apart personality wise. That was their strength though. The friends were always together. It didn’t matter where one went, the other was with them or close behind. They sat next to each other as they ate, played together, and when Mr. Sanchez saw how close they had become, he had moved them to the same bunk bed. Lailah didn’t hide her excitement for her buddy. Frank tried to, but anyone who had known Frank for an extended period of time knew that he didn’t just tolerate her like he pretended. He truly enjoyed her company.

Spring was on its way and the kids were playing outside, enjoying the nice breeze and the perfect weather. Frank was pushing Lailah on the swing, rolling his eyes when she started laughing. When she was at the appropriate height for both of them, he took a seat on the other swing, rocking back and forth lazily with his feet. His eyes were glued to the dirt track underneath his feet. Lailah slowly came to a stop next to him, she frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh. Nothing.” Frank said, looking from the ground to her.

“Your nose has wrinkles.” Lailah rocked back and forth like her buddy.

“…Rude.” Frank muttered.

“You look sad.”

“…No.”

“Hm.” Lailah pushed back and swing forward once. “Do you want a push now?”

“No.”

“Frank… we’re friends, right?”

“Huh?” Frank asked. “Are you stupid?”

“I dunno… Am I?”

Frank sighed,  
“I-I thought it was obvious, dummy.”

“Friends tell each other when they’re sad.” Lailah said and pushed back to swing forward.

Frank sighed and leaned back, looking up at the sky. Thinking wasn’t really something Frank did too often. It wasn’t that he wasn’t smart. Lailah had seen the way he was when they played, he was extremely smart. But… he would get like this sometimes. He’d retreat into himself and it was hard for Lailah to reach him. Sometimes she would just sit next to him and they’d sit in silence for a while. When she got depressed, he’d do it too. Being quiet by nature, he was better at it.

“Why didn’t my mom and dad want me?” Frank muttered.

“…”

“I never met them.”

This was the most that Frank had ever opened to her. He had a way of wiggling things about herself from her, but she hardly knew anything of him. It was infuriating in a way that she knew so little about her friend. Now was the chance though, and she didn’t want to mess that up. If she said something wrong, he may not want to open up to her again. Frank might just not want to be her friend in general.

“I dunno.”

“The old couple have been my parents.” Frank looked back down at the ground. “I’ve been here since I was a small baby.”

“Sorry.” Lailah whispered.

“…Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“I like this.”

“Swinging?” Frank asked, making Lailah shake her head.

“No. I like talking to you.” Lailah smiled bright.

Frank scoffed and looked away from her again.  
“T-That’s stupid.”

Frank wasn’t frazzled easily. However, when Lailah did end up taking him by surprise, it always made her happy. It was nice to see another side of her friend other than the stoic boy that had kept her company by her bedside the first night that she was there. She knew he was a well-rounded person, she just didn’t understand why he didn’t show himself more. If it was possible, she wanted to let him know that he was able to open up to her. That’s always what friendship was about, to her understanding, and what she saw in the TV shows she watched. Lailah wanted to emulate that the best that she was able.

“…My mommy and my daddy left me too.”

“…Yeah.” Frank muttered.

“Did we do something wrong?”

“…”

“But… Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez are nice and make good food.”

“Is that all you think about is food?” Frank muttered.

“Yes.”

Frank snorted a laugh, smiling. That was the first time that Lailah had ever seen him truly smile.  
“Thought so.”

“We might not have mommies or daddies,” Lailah began, changing the subject. “but we have each other.”

“…You say some gross things.”

“Mhm.” Lailah agreed with a smile again.

“It’s okay. You’re right.”

Lailah didn’t say anything else. Wanting to have this moment with Frank, she swung back and forth. He was a good friend and even though her mom and dad had left her, one of the good things that came out of it was that she got a good friend. When she slept, she hoped every night that her and him would remain friends through their whole lives. A part nagged at her, worried about them being separated if one got adopted and the other didn’t. If they _did_ get adopted, how close would they be to each other? Would they ever be able to see each other? The thought of her never seeing Frank again terrified her more than her first night at the orphanage.

“What are you staring at, you weirdo.”

“Just happy.” Lailah said.

Frank didn’t say anything else. A small smile pulled on his lips and he continued to slowly swing. All the worry of everything coming in the future didn’t seem important at that moment. When her and Frank were together, as weird as it sounds, it just felt like everything would be okay. There were no guarantees for the future. People lived day by day; second by second even. Lailah was only four. She didn’t know what would be around the corner. That was why it was important for her to live in the moment with her dearest friend.

“Kids! Time for dinner!” Mr. Sanchez called from the door.

Frank and Lailah hopped from their swings and she pulled on his wrist, wanting him to hurry. When she was with her parents, she had a hard time eating three meals a day. It was one of the things that she loved about being here, she got to eat so much good food all the time. She still missed her parents deeply. There were times where she’d get quiet or just start crying out of nowhere. The thing that kept her from sinking deeper into depression was that she was sure that her parents gave her to Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez to make sure that she was taken better care of. She was sure of it.

“Yes of course. You can visit tomorrow.” Mrs. Sanchez was on the phone when they all came in. She smiled at them and hung up the phone.

Dinner that night was excellent. It always was. No matter what Mr. or Mrs. Sanchez cooked for the kids, it took all of their needs into consideration. Whether its something that they’re allergic to, something that they didn’t prefer, or something that made them sick or uncomfortable; each meal was tailored so that all the kids could enjoy without feeling like they were missing out on something. Truthfully, the Sanchez’s were some of the most sweet and thoughtful people she had ever met.

Lailah loved being around them. Mr. Sanchez was always there when they were hurt; whether it was them falling and scraping a knee or if they didn’t feel good Mr. Sanchez was _always_ there. Mrs. Sanchez was great when someone needed to talk. She was there when someone was sad, angry, or was just hurt. Typically, Frank was talking with Mrs. Sanchez a lot. Well, to be truthful, Frank was sitting on the couch and she was talking to him. He could get aggravated a lot, but even though he wouldn’t admit it, Lailah knew that she calmed down the hot-headed kid.

Like always, she ended up eating almost three plates. The kids always ended up helping Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez clean up even though they always tried to tell the kids they didn’t need to. A chore chart was created, but the kids never really needed it. Each was happy to help when they could. Usually Lailah would end up dragging Frank to go and help her with whatever she decided to help out with. This time it was the cleaning up of their toys from the living room.

Frank would always roll his eyes, but Lailah would just ignore it and she’d just put more toys in his hands so he’d have to put them away. He was older—just turned six—and was able to hold more things than her and was stronger. They put the toys away and decided to watch TV. It was a routine that Lailah loved. She’d have to end up rearranging it soon since Frank was going to be starting school soon. He’d be dealing with homework and have to worry about that and some grades.

Unfortunately… things never went according to plan in Lailah’s life.

The next day had Lailah in tears. It had gone just like any other day in the beginning. Her and Frank woke up per usual and while they were eating, some people came in. They were talking to Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez for a long time. The woman was a short Asian woman and the man was a tall, buff looking man that looked American. Other than her caretakers, the only other adults that she would see were the neighbors. An old woman that would come and deliver some of the best sweets she’d ever had was their most frequent visitor. A man that would make dinner for them sometimes was another frequent visitor. A nice couple who would bring their animals over to play with the kids were another group she was used to seeing. These people… She didn’t like this.

Her and Frank were watching TV after breakfast when they got the news. Those people. That man and the woman were there to take her friend away. It came to light that the two were talking with Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez for a long time. They were Frank’s foster family. Tears fell down her face again. The wound that was closing from her family abandoning her, now Frank was being forced to leave her too. Lailah screamed when they started to take him away. She held onto his hand with both of hers and pulled. She had never seen that look in Frank’s eyes before. He looked absolutely lost. They were buddies. Friends. _Best_ friends. They were supposed to stay together for good!

Lailah stood at the door and sobbed, watching Frank drag his bag before his new foster father put it in the car. His new father looked at him after he opened the door. Frank turned around and locked eye contact with Lailah. His eyes looked sad and his shoulders were slumped. She cried and waved her hand, her shoulders heaving.

“Bye…” She said through her tears, her sobs getting worse once Frank got in the car and drove away.

Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez had assured her that they’d meet again. His new parents weren’t taking him too far away. Once she was in school, she was supposed to see him. It wouldn’t be the same, but she was supposed to see her friend again. They were going to be close again. She knew it. They _had_ to. At least, that’s what she tried to tell herself.

Watching Frank look back at her from the rear window, fading into the distance, was the last time she ever saw Frank Morrison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! There you have it! This chapter gave me a lot of feels. Maybe it's because of how I pictured it in my head. I really hope you liked it too. Let me know what you think since I"m completely anxious for this to go well and am having a roller coaster of emotions and terror running through me.
> 
> Thanks again! Have a good day or night!


	3. Smiley Face Pin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well well well, what do we have here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome back to Living Hell! This chapter was way super fun to write. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Thanks FrostyBlueFox, rUn_bich_RUNNN, and the four guests who left kudos on my work. It means a lot to me and I hope you continue to love it.

Cold and warmth mingled, occasionally overtaking each other making sleep hard. One moment came with sweats, another came with chills. Mingling the two wasn’t great and usually led to sickness. The lack of equilibrium led to eyes opening and the world coming into focus. Lailah rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. On her way to the bathroom, her reflection appeared from the corner of her eyes. Wow. She looked terrible. Bags so discernable they could’ve been designer bags were under her eyes. They were red and puffy. Whenever she woke and her eyes looked like this, she had cried most of—if not all—night. In the corner of her mirror, she pulled the small polaroid tucked into the small crevice of mirror and the wood backing.

It was a picture of her and Frank. Lailah had wrapped an arm around his back and pulled him close. A bright smile was on her face and her cheek was smashed against his. He didn’t have a smile, his lips were only elevated at the corner because of her face. He was looking at her from the corner of his eyes and he looked like he was just starting to roll them. Even with the look, she wasn’t pushed away and Mr. Sanchez had taken the photo. Lailah flipped the photo over and looked at her childlike writing.

_Me and Frank. He didn’t want to take it. Or smile._

Mrs. Sanchez helped her write her sentence and underneath it was a date.

_August 28, 1982_

Lailah sighed and put the photo back in its proper place.  
“I can’t believe it’s been fourteen years…”

A few months after Frank had been taken by his foster family, Lailah had gotten adopted. Truly, she had never thought that she would have such great parents. It was hard at first, losing your only friend and then taken from the home she had grown to know only to be placed in a completely different place. They had been so understanding and didn’t force her to become accustomed all at once. When she was starting school, they were making sure to be supportive of her, but not smother her. In all, Lailah loved them like they were her parents. No… they _were_ her parents. She yawned and went over to the bathroom. Even though she was exhausted, she knew that she’d never get back to sleep. Every time that she had that dream and experienced the gain and the loss, she was never able to go back to sleep.

Lailah sighed and went downstairs. It wasn’t too light, but it wasn’t dark outside. She was a bit of a bed lover. Staying in bed all day; writing, watching TV, watching a movie, it didn’t matter. She loved it. That wasn’t to say that she exactly _hated_ being up early, but when she didn’t have a good night sleep it was terrible. She moved to the kitchen and started coffee. Once it started to pour, she grabbed a cup.

“You’re up early.”

Lailah jumped and looked behind her. Her father was standing there, having just woke up as well. It wasn’t too strange to see him up though, he woke up early every morning to go. Usually when she would wake up, she’d see her mother in the kitchen making breakfast and her father making some coffee and reading the newspaper. Just a typical family morning.

“Yeah. Did I wake you?”

“Nah.” Her father shook his head. “You know I’m always up at this time.”

Lailah reached in the cabinet and got another cup. Just as she did, the coffee was done and poured both a cup. She reached in the fridge and treated hers with milk and sugar like she always did before sitting down at the table. She took a sip and exhaled, looking down at the creamed liquid. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a group of papers sitting at the edge of the table. Some of them had red writing on it, others were filled with numbers. The figures showed a budget and prices for purchased items. When her father had taken a couple sips of his coffee, he picked up the papers.

“… Did everything go through okay? You were on the phone for a long time yesterday.” Lailah said.

Her father smiled and laughed lightly.  
“Yeah. The owner was a little bit apprehensive about the whole thing. But I managed to talk him into it.”

“That’s good. I know you’ve had your eye on it for a couple of years.”

“All that hard work that you did paid off too, Lailah.”

For the past two years, her father has been talking to the owner of the abandoned lodge in Ormond. It was once very beautiful and prosperous, but when Mount Richards opened a deluxe ski village less than two hours away, it crushed Mount Ormond’s resort that had older facilities in comparison to the fresh slopes and luxurious stores and hotels. The Ormond resort never caught a break and miners ended up lining the peak with explosives to extract the recently found coal seams from underneath it. Thankfully, the public rose up enough to where the project was abandoned.

Thanks to all the difficulty it caused, Mount Ormond became a place where problem teens and where gangs would go to look for trouble; exchanging drugs or whatever else they did. The deal had passed between the current owner of the Ormond Resort and him so now they owned it. Her father’s first priority was to restore the lodge to its former glory. With Mount Richards’ resort being open, the competition was going to be fierce, but getting Mount Ormond up would be _huge_ and could bring in so much revenue and would breathe life into the history and perhaps make the locals brighten up just as much that a piece had been restored.

As much as her father complimented her, Lailah hadn’t done very much. Every now and again she’d go up and clean the surrounding area of the resort. She’d found everything from makeshift tourniquets to spray paint cans to bottles of caffeine pills. Perhaps the weirdest things she ended up finding were rulers and smiley face pins. Lailah would sometimes wash off some graffiti. It seemed that her attempted clean up of the problems around the lodge only pissed off the people from the other sides of the tracks. One mural had appeared there one day, bigger than the others and more “professional” looking. It was one word; but extremely huge—Legion. It had taken her _hours_ to get that off only for the residue to remain enough to where it could still be read.

“Thanks Dad.” Lailah said.

“Oh, you’re both up.” A soft voice came from the stairs.

Her mother was wrapped in a robe and was making her way to the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table. She leaned over and looked at the papers. A bright smile had come to her face. It seemed that her mother hadn’t known about the closure of the deal either. Neither of them had ever said why they wanted the Ormond Resort so bad, but she wasn’t complaining. It would be nice to be able to have something to do during her winter breaks other than sit around. There was no doubt in her mind that her parents would be exceptionally successful in their endeavors. They were ambitious people by nature that would do everything they could to make their dreams come true.

“I was thinking of having Lailah go up and make sure that everything was at least halfway decent so we could make the first moves of repair while we have the momentum. If that’s alright with you.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind.” Lailah assured.

“Your mother and I are going to go and talk to the contractors to get quotes for restoring the foundation.”

“That sounds boring.” Lailah said. “I’ll definitely do the clean up the best I can and make sure things are as easy as possible for the workers to get around.”

“Don’t strain yourself too much, alright Baby?” Her mother said.

“Of course, you know me.”

“That’s exactly why I said it.”

“…Fair point.”

“How about I make breakfast this morning?” Her father said, making both her and her mother turn to look at him. “You made such a big dinner last night, I figured it’s the least that I could do.”

“Wow, Dad, that’s considerate.”

“I tend to be.”

“I’d appreciate it.” Her mother smiled.

Lailah laced her fingers together and leaned her chin on them. Fourteen years since she’d been in their house and she could see how much they were still in love with each other. She hoped that some day she would get lucky enough to where she’d find someone and have a love like that. They supported each other through all the hard times and made sure that each other was the best that they could be. Truthfully, as cliché as it sounded, they were able to bring out the best in each other and balance the worst.

“So, have you thought about where you’re going to go to college, Lailah?” Her mother asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Mm. Not yet. The original plan was to help you and Dad the best that I could while looking, but when the resort opens, you’re going to need some help and I’d really like to do that for a little bit.”

“Put yourself first, Lailah.”

“It’s fine, Mom. Besides, I was talking to Dad a couple of months ago and we were going over the plans for the resort. I was thinking that eventually I could go to college with some sort of business. That’s just a skeleton of a plan though.”

“It’s a start.” Her mother smiled.

“Gotta start somewhere.” Lailah took another sip.

Sooner rather than later, her father brought food to the table and put a plate in front of each of them. It was simple toast, eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon but she didn’t mind. Sometimes it was nice to be able to relax and just have a basic breakfast. Besides, they had a long day planned and now that the deal had went through, a _lot_ of their days were going to be full. Being full to the point where they were stuffed would slow them down and might make them sick. Snacking throughout the day was more her preference. Just as she was about to cut into her food, a bottle of ketchup was set on the table.

“Ah, thanks. I forgot.” She said, squirting some onto her eggs and hashbrowns.

They sat in silence for a few minutes happily munching and reveling in the good news they had this morning.

“Lailah, were you having a bad dream last night?” Her mother’s voice was soft.

“…”

“It sounded like you were crying.”

Lailah sighed and although she wished that she could forget her dream like she had with all the others, this one was as clear as the day that she had experienced. Perhaps that was the difference from normal dreams to memories that took form through dreams. Her appetite lowered and she stabbed at her hashbrowns. It wasn’t that she wanted to push her parents out of her life, but talking about it made her feel like she was being a burden or that she didn’t appreciate everything that they had done for her.

“It was just that dream again…” She admitted.

“I’ve told you before Lailah, I could always see what I can find out about the boy. Maybe you guys can meet up again.”

“No… there’s no point.”

“It might give you some closure, Honey.” Her mother tried to persuade.

“Frank and I haven’t seen each other in fourteen years. We’re two completely different people now. Don’t get me wrong… part of me would _love_ to see him again. But, I’ve kept this memory of him when we were kids. Just how awkward and innocent he was. I don’t know what he’s been doing all these years. What happens if I somehow end up meeting him again and he’s the exact opposite of how I thought he’d grow up?”

“Then you get to know the new him.”

“… That might not be such a good idea. What if he’s so different that he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me? I… I’m not sure that I could take that very well.” Lailah admitted.

“You never know, Lailah. He might be the same type of boy.”

“I think that… I’d rather just keep the memory of him than take the chance of losing the Frank that I know.” Lailah looked at her father. “Thanks though. It means a lot to me. Truly.”

There were many times throughout the years that she had thought about asking her parents to see if they could find out anything about Frank Morrison. She had thought about doing the same in case they failed somehow. But, the thought of what he could’ve become was overpowering her desire to know more about what happened with her friend. Like her mother said, he may be the same awkward and shy boy that she had known, but then again, finding foster parents and living in a new environment wasn’t exactly easy. In addition to how abandoned Frank felt when they were at Calgary, he may not have taken foster families well. No matter what, Frank would always remain a part of her. Lailah just wanted to keep him how he was right now in her heart.

Dinner took a different turn after their somewhat depressing conversation. A couple more minutes of sifting through their thoughts and the bright nature came back. She was smiling and laughing at some very “Dad things” that her father had said. Even though he wasn’t anywhere near the cook that her mother was, she loved the food. It was straightforward and simple, just like he was. There was no hiding who he was and what you saw was what you got. That was admirable to her. There was no hiding behind a mask with him; no smile while underneath he was in turmoil. Sometimes she was the exact opposite; she’d find herself putting a smile on her mask while she was sad underneath, but primarily, she had taken a note from her father and kept herself straightforward.

Lailah took the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.  
“I’ll head out soon.” She said.

“There’s no rush.”

“No, it’s fine. You guys have been waiting for this for a long time. The quicker that I get everything set, the more efficient the workers will be when they come to restore it.” Lailah said and made herself some hot cocoa once she had finished all the dishes.

“Let us know if anything comes up. Alright?” Her mother said.

“Yeah of course. It’s not too far away. I’ll be fine.”

Lailah rushed upstairs and got dressed into the warmest clothes that she had. She grabbed her thermos of hot cocoa, a trash bag, and her cassette player. Her father handed her a “private property” sign that she had to double back for. Smiling at her parents, she headed out with everything in hand. Many times before, her father had offered her rides, but she found that cut into the time he needed for meetings and other preparations so she took to going on her own.

A few minutes from her house in town was a path straight up to the resort. It wasn’t well taken care of. There were rocks that were peeking up from the slushy, dirty snow. Twigs and small branches littered the pathway and gnarly bushes would rip your pants if you weren’t looking carefully. However, even that was a significant amount better than when she had first gone there. The pair of pants that she had been wearing had to be thrown away from the holes that littered the fabric

Slowly, making sure to watch her footing, she took the path a step at a time. Recently after they had started to take care of it, she had learned to memorize every little bit that would need professionals to work with making sure to avoid the places that could hurt her. Sooner than she had expected, she made it up to the abandoned resort. Just as she had expected, the places that she had once cleaned were dirty once again. It seemed that some of the gangs that were around were thinking that whoever was cleaning up was their own personal maid and had taken it upon themselves to leave more trash than normal.

_Just wait. I’m gonna make sure that all of you asses are taken care of by the cops._

Lailah walked into the abandoned Ormond Resort and set her thermos and the mess of trashbags on the dilapidated counter. This was going to be a pain in the ass, but if it was going to make her parents happy and realize their dream, while at the same time, making her own blossom, she’d endure it. She left out of the back, pushed the door open, listening to it scraping against the ice. She walked over to where the small metal shed was and sighed.

Laying littered all over the ground was beer bottles, more makeshift tourniquets. She had been extremely thankful that she had never found any used syringes around here. The only thing she could think was that they didn’t want anything that could be used against them. Before starting, she clicked on her cassette player and started bobbing her head to the music before picking up the beer bottles and making sure that her snow gloved hands were gloved _again_ —albeit awkwardly—with latex gloves. Whatever disgusting things were all over those tourniquets, she didn’t want to get on her gloves.

Small things also were tossed in the trash. There were more rulers, small notches hacked into the wooden surfaces. There were small yellowed things sticking out of the snow here and there. Each one that she picked up was a smiley face pin. Some were defaced, some were not. Others were broken, some were intact. Was someone just carrying these around and slinging them around like confetti? Each time she was coming back up here to clean, there were more and more. Then again, it _had_ been a little bit since she was here.

Cigarette butts littered the ground and she found herself just scooping up snow and throwing it into the bag instead of trying to pick up each individual one. She never understood why this was a place where the so-called “undesirables” would hang out. Yeah it was secluded, but there were plenty other places around that would serve just as well. The forest, for one. There were trees all around that would hide all sorts of illegal activities. Some places around there could have things buried underneath it. Thinking like a hoodlum didn’t necessarily make you one, but it did make her wonder why in the hell they chose here of all places. It was almost like they were drawn to it in some sort of strange way. Like a calling, or some sort of primordial force.

_I’m just thinking weird because I didn’t sleep good last night._

Lailah filled up one bag and walked back into the chalet and placed it to the side. There was nothing that would smell bad, so she could leave it here for a while until she was able to bring something to where she’d be able to dispose of it properly. She took another bag and fluffed it out and stuck her hand inside to stretch out the bottom. She tossed it over the counter and undid the top to her thermos, taking a small sip but making sure to be careful as it was still hot. She stopped and looked around. It sounded like someone was moving something outside, but from the lack of sleep last night and the music’s beat slamming in her ears, she shook her head. No one from the wrong side of the tracks would come up here during the daylight hours.

She put the top back onto her thermos. The nippiness of the morning hours on top of the snow was getting to her. Thankfully, on one of the trips up here, some wood had been delivered. Lailah took advantage of the foresight and arranged it into the center pit of the chalet and lit it up with some matches and Firestarter that had also been left here upon the first scope out of the lodge. She looked at the matches and counted them and frowned. There were some missing. Had some of these people really come in here and robbed them? Considering the things that she had found, it truthfully wouldn’t shock her, but it really was unbelievable.

Sometime around noon, she had managed to get the whole grounds caught up and cleaned. Three trashbags later, she turned to every sort of graffiti that was defacing the walls, floors, and even on some of the floor. Cleaning this was going to be a pain. The ice on certain spots was frozen and would take extra care in getting it _and_ the paint off. Lailah grumbled and searched in the cabinets behind the desk and found a bucket that was able to be heated. She walked outside and filled it up halfway with snow and placed it safely off the fire, but enough to where the snow would melt into hot water.

Lailah sipped on her hot cocoa until the water was boiling. She took the bucket carefully and sloshed it along the ice on the floor, loosening it up. That would make things a lot easier. Before the hot water had a chance to become colder or freeze again, she scrubbed at the floor’s graffiti. It came off a lot easier than she had thought it would. Thankfully. Perhaps the hot water did something to break up the paint, but she didn’t know too much about science to confirm or deny her theory.

Sweating while working in the snow could be a recipe for a cold, but she couldn’t stop. Lailah was scrubbing at the remnants of the “Legion” mural that was inside of the resort when her cassette stopped. She clicked her tongue and tossed the rag onto the edge of the hot bucket and flipped the cassette. Just before she closed it, she stopped. Mumbling was muffled from the distance. Lailah looked down at her player to make sure she hadn’t accidentally pressed play and turned down the volume. She hadn’t even closed it. She pressed a cushion from her ear and furrowed her brows.

The talking was so low that she had a hard time hearing what was being said. Lailah chilled at the voices. She hoped that it was her father that had come, but she knew better. He would’ve called out for her and asked how she was doing. He wouldn’t be lurking outside. Were the voices from coming outside some of the people that were coming up here and littering? Lailah didn’t have a lot of experience from dealing with people from the other sides of the tracks. All she knew how to do was clean up after them.

Lailah walked to the wall and peeked from the cracks that revealed the outside. There were four people outside. From the look of it; two girls and two guys. Each were wearing hoodies, one of the guys had tilted his head and looked towards one of the other people. She covered her mouth, trying hard not to gasp. The way the boy had turned his head, she was able to see where his face should’ve been. In its place was a white, grimy mask with a weird expression. The circular eyes and toothy smile smeared with some sort of red that she prayed was paint scared her. None of them seemed to be carrying weapons though, and she was so thankful for that. It could be hidden in their hoodies, but…

Before her brain could scream at her to stop, she pushed the door open and stepped outside. All talking and laughing had ceased among the four and their faces turned, and Lailah had to physically force herself to not recoil. Two of the masks that looked at her were primarily the same except one had more of the red paint—she hoped—on it. One was a man with a tattoo on his neck. One was a woman with short hair. Another was a strange looking one that looked like flesh that was stitched together. The woman had pink hair. The other mask that stared at her was a skeleton looking mask. The man with the smiling mask tilted his head and looked at her. The smile masked woman stood up, making Lailah’s heart thud quicker in her chest.

_Shit. I’m fucking dead._

The smiling masked man grabbed onto her arm, instantly making her stop. Skeleton mask took a couple of steps towards her and Lailah mentally cursed herself when her leg instinctively moved to turn and run. Show them weakness and their kind will eat you alive. Heart beating so fast it was starting to hurt, she clenched her jaw the closer that the man got.

“Well well well,” Smiling mask man said. His voice was muffled, but she could hear the amusement in his tone. “What do we have here?”

“…” _What the fuck am I supposed to say?_

“You the one that’s been cleaning up around here, Kid?” Skeleton masked man asked, coming up behind smiling masked man.

“…”

“Anyone ever taught you to not touch things that aren’t yours?”

“I-I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Lailah stammered, hating herself for her mishap when smiling man huffed a laugh.

“Oh yeah?” Skeleton Man chuckled.

“Yeah.” Lailah feigned confidence. “This is private property.”

“Don’t private properties usually have signs?” Smiling Man asked, his tone just as amused as his mask.

Lailah kept her eyes on the man and backed up. If she looked away, she was worried that he’d end up stabbing her and killing here, her body laying to rot right here at the resort that she was supposed to be restoring. She grabbed a hold of the sign and stabbed it into the ground between them. Smiling Man looked from the sign over to Lailah again.

“Surely you can read.” She said, trying to sound confident.

Smiling Man huffed a laugh.  
“What makes you think I’d listen to a sign?”

“…”

“Hm?”

“I’ll call the cops.”

Skeleton Man snorted a laugh. Flesh Masked Girl in the back stood up.  
“Hey—!”

Smiling Man held up his hand, silencing the girl. They looked all about her age, but it was clear the one staring her down was the leader. Clearly for _some_ reason she had caught his attention as he hadn’t looked away from her. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“You look like a smart girl.”

“I’d like to think I am.”

Leader tilted his head.  
“Then you know we’d be _long_ gone before you found a phone and they got here.”

_Dammit…_

“I could tell them what you look like. I’m sure there aren’t a lot of young adults that run around wearing weird masks and hanging around at private properties during weird hours of the day.” Lailah glanced from Smiling Man to Skeleton Man and to the girls in the back. She didn’t need to see the looks on their faces to realize that they were fuming.

“Masks are easily made.” The Leader said, still taunting her.

“Neck tattoos aren’t.”

Silence fell over them and Lailah could _feel_ her blood pumping through her veins. Despite the insane amount of hot cocoa that she had drank earlier, her mouth was as dry as cotton. Was her outburst going to cost her, her life? The Leader moved and Lailah almost jumped out of her skin, but he had just shifted from one leg to the next. His posture lazy. No hint of worry or terror in his demeanor at all. She didn’t know what was scarier, him personally or the fact that he wasn’t scared of the cops and his definite capture.

Finally Smiling Man huffed a laugh.  
“Private property, huh?”

“Private. Property.”

A bloodied and bandaged hand reached into his jacket. Lailah immediately went rigid. Was it painful to be stabbed? Well, if you survived that is. If Smiling Man stabbed her and killed her, would it hurt? Would he kill her? Or would he just torture her? What if he let the others join? If all four of them went at it to torture her, would she end up dying? His hand came from his pocket and Lailah flinched slightly. His bandaged hand didn’t hold a weapon. She couldn’t tell. He flipped whatever item it was in the air. Lailah took her eyes off him for a moment to catch the item in her hands.

It was a small friendly looking, bright yellow pin. Lailah couldn’t count how many times she had picked up these sorts of items around the lodge. Now she knew the source of the weirdly smiling pin. She looked from the pin over to Smiling Man. He had gathered the other three and were heading down the pathway. Had she really been able to stop them and make them leave? A surge of accomplishment swept through her.

“Oh.” Lailah looked to see that Smiling Man had stopped and was looking over his shoulder. “Smile by the way. After all, you’ve caught the eyes of The Legion.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! It was really fun to write The Legion and each member. I had to backspace and take out their names because I know their names, but Lailah doesn't so it's a little difficult for my brain to process sometimes.
> 
> I hope I captured their personalities well and that you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think! Thanks so much again!
> 
> *throws gang signs* Mikuxmew85


	4. Defaced Smiley Face Pin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She felt threatened. In danger.
> 
> I have to get out of here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! Holy shit I'm on a fucking roll. Anyway, all the back patting aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter a lot.

_“Oh. Smile by the way. After all, you’ve caught the eyes of The Legion.”_

Lailah froze. The Legion? Her eyes darted side to side, staring at the footsteps that were implanted in the snow. Her fist tightened and she gasped, dropping the smiley faced pin like it had burned her. There had been talk of The Legion around town. They were a small-time gang. No, perhaps “gang” was too strong of a word. They were a small group of friends that liked to terrorize things. Whether it was for the hell of it, she didn’t know. Maybe these four were a group posing as The Legion. Copycats? Telling herself that would make it easier to process everything that had happened. The rational part of her knew the truth. She had encountered them and yet she had survived without a scratch. Whoever they were, she hoped that she never ran into them again; specifically, the Smiling Face Man.

Getting the attention of the leader of The Legion was nothing but terrifying. The only telling thing that he had to identify him anywhere without his mask was the neck tattoo. But there was such a thing as a turtle neck or a pull over hoodie. Seeing either of those things wouldn’t be weird as it was Winter. Hearing his voice in person was out of the question as well. His voice behind the mask was muffled. Identifying _any_ of them would be difficult. Skeleton Man was black. That’s all she knew. Flesh Skin Mask had pink hair, but there was such a thing as hair dye. Clearly. Smiling Face Woman had short hair. That’s all she knew. Whether it was short in general, in a bun, in a ponytail eluded her. Lailah could run into one of them or all of them in the streets and she wouldn’t know.

Lailah looked down at the smiley face pin in the snow. She tilted her head to the side and hesitated before bending down and picking it up. She turned it over and over in her hand. What was she trying to find? Was there some sort of defining feature of it that would identify the group except the signature that was the pin. Truly, she wanted to throw the pin away, but she ended up bringing it and putting it near her things. Her eyes darted to the wall where the mural of “The Legion” was. No. She needed to get that off there. A hot coal set in the pit of her stomach like it all those years ago when she realized that her parents had abandoned her. She blinked and grabbed another bucketful of snow to wipe down the walls again. When she reached the mural’s remains of The Legion, she slammed _all_ her weight on it and scrubbed as hard as she could. She wanted _nothing_ of The Legion to remain.

“What do we have here?” Lailah mocked. She stopped and looked around, half expecting someone to be behind her and literally kill her for mocking their leader. Both of those girls wanted her death just when they laid eyes on her. Whether or not the men wanted to play with their food to snap her in an iron maiden later remained to be seen. If she made fun of them, then it would distance herself from the terror that had tried to set in. “Masks are easily made… Of course they are, smart ass.”

Lailah grumbled and scrubbed harder. Slowly, but surely, the base of the mural began to fade. Whoever had painted this was extremely talented. It was a slight shame to actually erase it, but at the same time, seeing it reminded her of _them_. Whenever she would come up here to go and help with whatever her parents needed, just seeing even a hint of the mural would turn her mood sour.

By the time that she had cleaned up everything that she could, it was almost dinner time. With everything that had happened, she hadn’t even realized the time getting away from her or the lack of food in her stomach. Her thermos was empty, all the trash bags were full, she was tired, and her mind was reeling from her encounter with the four hooligans. Usually she tried to not judge people by their appearance nor their lives. After all, she didn’t have exactly the fairy tale story either. But, she did have a good ending. If it wasn’t for their intrusion on private property and their terrible conversation skills, she wouldn’t have had an issue. It was mostly the passive aggressive threatening.

Lailah yawned and grabbed the three garbage bags and put them near the back of the chalet where she would put everything that would need to be taken out the next day. Right now, she had _no_ desire to try and put this in the trash bin. The idea of running into the four was the primary reason, but she tried to tell herself it was because she was just too tired. She grabbed her thermos, rewound her cassette tape, put out the fire, and headed back out of the chalet.

The sky was darkening early as it did this time of year. It worried her a little bit. She turned around in a couple of circles. There was no sign of any of the four people. This was what they wanted; she knew it. They wanted to instill fear in her. It was working. Were they truly killers or was it just their goal to terrorize? Lailah didn’t want to find out how far they would go. She headed down the pathway. Normally, she would have listen to some music on the way back, but she wanted to give the appearance that she was relaxed just in case she was going to be ambushed.

Someone like that would be able to overpower her rather easily. Both Smiling Mask Man and Skeleton Mask Man would be able to do it with no issue, but if she did end up dying by their hands she didn’t want to die wondering who had killed her. The women she wasn’t too worried about, she could end up putting up a decent fight. With her familiarity of the pathway, she would be better able to escape. Halfway down the pathway, she heard some rustling a little bit behind her and to her right. Lailah hesitated for a second, but tried to play it off like she was stepping over something. Were they here?

Lailah continued quickly, making sure to not harm herself. A large rustling came from her right and she ended up screaming out slightly when it got closer and louder despite herself. A squirrel came dashing from the dead leaves and snow beneath her feet and scurried along to another tree, trying to get everything it needed before its hibernation. Lailah sighed and placed a hand over her chest to calm her racing heart. She exhaled shakingly, gasping again when she heard something that sounded like laughter from the forest.

Quicker than she ever thought possible, she jogged down the pathway and got onto the main road. Her parents should be home by now. Going home would be great. She’d be able to get some food. She could watch a movie and relax with a nice hot shower and get to bed without having to worry or even _think_ about what happened today.

The warmth from her household was always welcoming. Not just in temperature, but in atmosphere. Lailah exhaled and closed the door quickly behind her; locking it. There was no reason that she should be this terrified with a quick meeting. She couldn’t tell her family about this. They’d worry too much and it might set their working back _years._ It would be all her fault. She didn’t want to lose her only true family. Lailah sighed and placed her back against the door, sliding down. Taking relief in her small fortress, she leaned her head back and exhaled.

“Lailah?” She jumped and screamed out a bit.

“Hey, hey. Are you okay?”

Lailah looked up and saw her father.

_Oh. That’s right. The Legion doesn’t know my name… Right…_

“What? O-Oh yeah. I’m just exhausted is all.”

“I was just about to come and get you.” Her father said. “Your mom has dinner all prepared.”

“Yeah… that’d be great.”

Lailah sat down with her family. Dinner was great as it always was when her mother made it. Her parents could tell that something was wrong with her. She knew they could. However, there was no point in bringing it up. It would only worry them and that was the last thing that she wanted. When she was done with her dinner, she made her way up to her bedroom and sat her cassette player and earphones down along with the smiley face pin. Why couldn’t she just throw it away? Thieves would always send calling cards, maybe this was like theirs… Lailah chalked it up to her worrying about what would happen if she ended up getting rid of the pin that had been deliberately given to her.

Without wanting to think anymore, she went and got in the shower. All the worry faded from her body when she was enveloped with the hot water. Lailah closed her eyes and let out the longest sigh that she had ever thought she could possess. It was so amazing to relax or the first time that day. The shower was long, but she settled right into bed soon afterwards and giving her parents a sendoff for the night.

Morning came faster than she would’ve thought, but it was a great night’s sleep. When she woke up the sun was already in the sky and she was warm and perfectly toasty. During dinner, she had heard that her father had a meeting with the previous owner of the chalet to get the deeds for the resort. After that, her parents would be heading to the foundation company and they were going to come for inspection the day after tomorrow. It would be the first steps in truly changing things for the better. Lailah had her own jobs for the day, it was supposed to be the last day of clean up. She was to gather everything else and place it in the trash bins that would be taken to the dump.

Lailah packed everything as she had the previous day. This time she had taken a meal with her, leftovers from dinner last night. She gave her parents a kiss on the cheek and left with an ‘I love you. See you later’. The way back up to the resort wasn’t _nearly_ as terrifying as it was on the way home at nighttime. When Lailah walked back into the resort, she froze. There upon the counter where she had all her things previously was another smiley face pin. Only… this time the pin was severely defaced. So much so, had she not seen a pristine pin, she wouldn’t have known what it was. This was terrifying. All the worry that had left her when she was taking her shower came in with a new found force. This was a message. Which of the four sent it… she had _no_ clue, but it didn’t matter. She felt threatened. In danger.

_I have to get out of here._

Lailah turned around and left the chalet. She had tried to head down the pathway. When she was able to get down the path, she’d go home. Lailah would tell her parents that she didn’t want to go up there anymore by herself. Especially with everything going to be going down with the renovations, she wanted to make sure that she wasn’t alone. If The Legion knew about her and knew that she’d come back up here and continued with the intimidation and terrifying passive threats, how far would they go?

Unfortunately, Lailah never got down the path. About a quarter of the way down, there was a woman standing there. Smiling Masked Woman to be specific. Trying to be polite was at the forefront of her mind. It would be the best idea. Her parents had told her to be polite to everyone. Lailah parted her lips to say something but stopped once she saw something dangling from her right hand. Twirling between her fingers was a knife. A _knife_.

“H-Hey… I’m uh… trying to get home.” Lailah said.

“…”

“Could you—”

“How did you like my little gift?” The woman said, tilting her head.

“Um… Gift?”

“The pin of course.”

“O-Oh… thank you.” Lailah laughed awkwardly. “It was a great gift.”

Smiling Mask Woman took a few steps towards her. Lailah wanted to keep as much distance between them as possible. The fact that she couldn’t see the woman’s face was unnerving. However, she could feel that the woman was smiling almost as much—if not more—as her mask.

“I thought it suited you.” Another few steps back as the woman took a few more forward.

“O-Oh yeah? How?”

“Why, your smiling face of course.”

Lailah thought about the way that the pin looked that the woman had dropped for her.  
“Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but… that doesn’t really look like me.”

The woman chuckled and flipped her knife in her hand.  
“Not yet.”

Lailah’s eyes widened when Smiling Masked Woman charged at her with her knife raised. She screamed and turned around, running. She wasn’t sure where she’d be running. No matter where she looked there was snow, snow, woods, and more snow. How the hell was she supposed to get out of here and away from the psychotic woman?! Lately, luck wasn’t on her side. Getting chased by a crazy woman, catching the eyes of The Legion’s leader to name a couple things. Just like her past couple days, luck wasn’t on her side again. Her foot slipped on some ice and she ended up falling. Just like the girls that fell in the horror movies. She turned around and saw the woman charging more and Lailah backed up her heart hammering in her chest.

Raising her arm up was her only defense at the moment against the woman who for _some_ reason was after her blood. Lailah screamed when she felt the flesh of her arm slice open even through the many layers of her clothing. She had no idea how far the woman had sliced her arm, but it hurt to simply move. Lailah couldn’t think of that right now. She turned over and pressed herself off the ice and sprinting again, knocking against the metal shed and a couple trees in the distance. Another sharp pain slammed into her shoulder, making her slam forward, knocking her face into the tree before she could turn and scraping her chin and cheeks.

Terror coursing through her body and her heart thrumming against her ears, her feet pounded against the snow, slipping more than she cared to admit. Blood seeped through the fingers as she covered her wounds. Lailah ran through some of the nearby forest, trying to lose the crazy woman. Branches snapped on some of the trees, some others smacked her in the face, making her face start to bleed and scratched in various spots.

Fog enveloped her legs. It was cold, unnatural fog. Tears fell down her face, stinging the open wounds on them. Lailah screamed when she tripped over a root and fell off of a small cliff. Her back and face alternated in slamming to the ground. When her body fully came to the stop, her vision was blurry. Everything around her was fog. There was no sky, no snow, no anything except the cold; _freezing_ fog. As it seemed to hug her she fell unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Have a good day!


	5. Survivors...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oi, where’re my manners? We ‘aven’t introduced ourselves yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am with another chapter guys. This one was a little difficult to write, and ultimately, I felt like it was a little slow and boring but I hope you enjoy it either way.

Color returned to the world. Pain seared through her arm and back. Her fight or flight instinct kicked in, reminding her of the crazy woman that was trying to kill her before she was knocked unconscious. Her head was killing her and when she felt the back of it, she could feel a bump growing. Nausea swept through her when she got up, but she ignored it. When she felt safe and away from the psychotic woman, she would end up puking then. First though, was safety. She could worry about the ramifications of her concussion later. Each bit of flesh and muscle that the woman had torn into throbbed, but she continued limping onwards.

Lailah stopped dead. If the woman had been chasing her, and clearly intent on killing her, then why the hell was she still alive? She should’ve been mangled and beaten in her sleep and murdered. But… here she was. Speaking of “here”, where exactly was it? The forest around her wasn’t anything like the one that she had ran into back at the resort. There was no snow around. Dead leaves of varying dark colors splayed around like someone had grabbed one of the naked trees and shaken them until they all fell out. She probably was knocked out for a long time, but… nothing about this looked like a resort. The sky was almost blocked out by the naked trees, but peeking through the branching canopy, she could see a moon high above.

Putting distance between her and the crazed woman wasn’t her priority now. Finding someone, _anyone_ to tell her where she was and what the hell was going on was. Nausea overtook her again, but for a completely different reason this time. Having nothing else to do or any direction of where to go, Lailah took to picking a random direction and heading there. Surely there would be some place around where she could run into other people. She couldn’t be the only person here… could she? If so, she’d have to find some way to get home. Her parents would be frantic once they found out that she was missing. Or wait, was this Hell? Cause if it was Heaven, the descriptions were _way_ off. Was she already dead?

Lailah didn’t know how long she was limping for. This place felt strange. Heavy. Something was wrong with this place. Fog this cognitive and deliberate wasn’t natural. Nor was it this cold. There was the familiar sensation of something that was once taut being cut. Pressure relieved that made her realize that something wasn’t functioning correctly here as it had been when she was back at the resort. Even though she had no reasoning to believe so, she felt like there were shadows behind every tree that carried someone ready to kill her. Yet, when she walked just close enough to where she should have seen something, it had turned out to be the moon reflecting against the tree’s trunk. Hopefully.

Crackling sounded in the distance. Living in a town where Winter was the primary season and air conditioning in a house was almost never needed, she knew instantly that it was the sound of a fire. While it could very well be a natural fire from the cold and the dryness of the land around her, it sounded too controlled. Forest fires were loud, snapping branches heard from every direction that echoed through the sky. This was something smaller. It sounded like it was kept going just to keep something warm. Or some _one_. Adrenaline invigorated her and she tried to run to the sound, but the pain in her body caused her to degrade to the limp she’d been having. Past some tall grass, the crackling was getting louder. Her teeth chattered either from anticipation on what she’d find, worry, or the pure cold of the land around her.

Lailah burst through the trees and saw ten people. They were all sitting around a campfire. There were two logs, each containing four people. The last two were sitting with their feet almost in the fire. While she was now by the fire, the warmth that she had ended up hoping to have dwindled away. Finding people was what she longed to have. Someone to ask questions and get answers from but seeing the faces that each person made when they saw her made her realize… she didn’t want to ask questions _or_ get any of the answers that it would entail. An Asian woman—she thought Chinese—was sitting by the fire along with a red-haired girl about her age with a white sweater. An old man with a cigarette was sitting on a log along with someone with a snapback hat, someone who looked like he’d been in a metal band when he was younger, and a black man in a trench coat. On the other log was a blonde woman with tattoos and an outfit that Lailah was sure she was shivering in, a Hispanic woman that had thighs for days, a man that looked like he was always in trouble, and a nervous looking man with glasses.

“Fuck.” The old man with the cigarette said, exasperated.

Lailah opened and closed her mouth a few times. Her throat felt like it was collapsing and it was hard to talk. She cleared her throat and coughed. Panic set in when she tried to talk and nothing came out. The blonde woman with tattoos stood up and came over to her. Lailah flinched when she wrapped an arm around her.

“C’mon now, Sweetie. Sit down here by the fire. I’m sure you’re pretty darn cold.” The woman’s voice was kind and had a heavy Southern drawl.

Not sure what to do other than listen to the woman, she took a seat between the two others. Being the center of attention was always something Lailah had hated, but more so now that she couldn’t talk and they were all looking at her.

“You’re cut up pretty bad.” The nervous man pushed his glasses up higher on his nose.

“David—” Thighs for Days lady called, but the man that looked like he would get in a fight at a second’s notice stood up.

“Yeah.”

The man called David knelt down beside her, the Chinese young woman moving out of the way to give him some more room. Lailah wanted to break down in tears, but they just wouldn’t come. She couldn’t talk. She had no idea who these people were, where the hell she was, or how in the hell to get home?

“Yer lookin’ pretty bad ‘ere girly.” David said, taking a battered up old med kit that was handed to him by the man in the trench coat. “Imma need ya to take off yer jacket. Be a helluva lot easier ta patch up ‘em gashes ya got.”

Lailah nodded and grunted, unzipping her jacket and with held from the white sweater girl, ended up pulling it completely off. The sweater underneath was torn in the back and at the arm where the crazed woman had slashed her. David pushed up her sleeve and opened the aged med kit, pulling out some surprisingly clean gauze and what looked like some sort of disinfectant. All of the other people around her looked unharmed, but she supposed it was helpful that some of them had some sort of medicinal knowledge.

“What’d ya do ‘fore ya got ‘ere? Get into a fight? This’ere’s pretty deep.”

Lailah frowned, wishing she could tell them all what happened. Maybe it would somehow give her insight as to what the hell was going on. For now, all she could do was simply nod. It wasn’t much of a fight, but something was better than nothing. All of them sat in silence while he worked on her arm.

“There. Anywhere that ya need patchin’?”

Lailah didn’t want to, but when David was done with her arm it ended up feeling a lot better. With her other hand, she pointed to her shoulder. When David winced, she knew that whatever was back there had to look pretty bad.

“Used a jagged blade. Surprised it didn’t go further down ‘f’n I’m bein’ honest with ye.” David sighed. “Imma have to ask ya to pull up yer shirt.”

Lailah’s eyes widened. Right here? In front of all these unknown people? Well… it’s not that she was okay taking off her clothes in front of people that she _did_ know, but… she didn’t know. Her head was starting to pound again. She shook her head.

“It’ll be fine.” The red-haired girl said. “David won’t do anything more than necessary.”

Lailah sighed and nodded, letting David pull up her sweater. Most of them respectively either looked away or down at the fire. Only two people remained looking at David as he worked on the wound on her back. The old man with the cigarette and the Chinese girl. Every now and again, she would moan or wince when David would touch too tender places. But when he was done she felt at least better enough to be able to move it.

“Ain’t as good as Claudette, but it innit gonna get infected ‘n’ that’s the most important thing.”

_Claudette?_

“Oi, where’re my manners?” David said. “We ‘aven’t introduced ourselves yet.”

“I’m Kate Denson.” The Southern girl said.

“Jane Romero.” Thighs for Days lady said.

“Ace Visconti.” Lailah looked at snapback hat man who smiled, making her somewhat uneasy.

“Adam Francis.” The black man in the trench coat said politely.

“Feng Min.” The Chinese girl said.

“Nancy Wheeler.” The red-haired girl that had been so polite to her tried to smile.

“Bill.” The old man with the cigarette muttered.

_Why are you so scary, Old Man?_

“Jeff Johansen.” The man with the large bears with the metal rock band shirt said.

“I-I’m Dwight Fairfield.” The nervous man said, stammering.

“’n’ my name is David King. ‘course I’m sure you realized that.”

Lailah nodded slightly. She wished that she could say “nice to meet you”, but under the current circumstances as well as her inability to speak; it would be a lie. There were so many things that she wanted answers to, but at the same time, she didn’t. Her mind was reeling and her head was throbbing.

“There are more of us.” Jane said.

“They’re… busy.” Feng said, rubbing her hands and placing them closer to the fire to get warm.

_Busy? I don’t like the sound of that…_

“We’ve got ten more people.” Nancy explained.

“Six of them are out and about.” Ace said. “Y’know, lovin’ to look around and see if they can help.”

_No. No I don’t know._

“The other four… well, we’ll wait until they get back.”

“So, what’s your name?” Jeff asked.

Lailah opened her mouth and looked around. She grabbed a small twig from between the logs. Carefully, she wrote out her name; Lailah Collins.

“’Lailah Collins’, huh?” Adam said. “Beautiful name.”

‘Thank you’ Lailah wrote in the dirt.

Perhaps the people weren’t so bad. She had dug the edge of her stick in the dirt to start asking some questions—she couldn’t wait forever after all—when cracking from twigs in the distance. Lailah’s head snapped in the direction of the sound when person after person came back into the campfire area.

“Hey, sorry we took…so…long?” A boy around the same age as her dressed in a green long sleeved shirt said as he came back to the campfire.

Five others followed behind. One had on a green jacket with black hair and a stern look on his face. Another looked like he hadn’t slept since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Strangely enough, a detective followed soon after. A young woman with high waisted pants on and a purple shirt emerged through the dense trees. The last one was probably the strangest one. He had some sort of mechanical looking arm and a smart ass look on his face.

“There you guys are.” Jane said. “We were wondering what was taking so long.”

“You can only find so much around here.” The high waisted pants woman said.

“Who’s that?” The mechanical armed man jutted his chin towards Lailah.

“She just got here today.” Feng said. “Lailah Collins is her name.”

The six that had emerged from the woods looked just as pitiful as the others had been when she first met them. They all had something to say; to tell her. She realized that it wasn’t the matter of not wanting to tell her, it was the matter of _how_ they were going to tell her. How she was going to react to everything. Whatever they were trying to tell her was going to be something that would change her life. She knew it. It wasn’t something that she was going to be able to prepare for.

“Sorry…” The tired looking man said as they all came to sit around the campfire, dropping many different items that she didn’t understand. To her, it all looked like junk. Some of the people leaned up and a few looked relieved.

“Lailah, this is Quinten.” Adam gestured to the tired man.

“Hey…”

“I’m Steve Harrington.” The boy about her age with the green shirt said, plopping down next to Nancy who didn’t look pleased with his closeness.

“Wish I could say ‘it’s nice to meet you’, Kid. But I’m a realist.” The detective man said.

“That’s Detective Tapp.” Kate muttered. “Don’t let him turn ya off with his personality. He’s a nice guy underneath it all. That’s Jake Park.”

The man called Jake nodded his head in greeting as he sat down some items that he had been carrying.

“I’m Laurie Strode, and this is Ash Williams.” The woman with the purple shirt said.

“The others aren’t back yet?” Ash muttered, looking around.

“Mm-mm.” Ace said. “Can’t tell if it’s good or bad that they’ve been gone a long time.”

“Doesn’t really matter in the end, does it?” Quinten sighed, separating the strange items into groups with the help of the other five that came back with him.

“How d’ya think the new girl’s farin’?”

_Right now? I’m pretty shitty guys. And pretty terrified._

“Dunno… it’s gotta suck though. Getting pulled into a Trial almost as soon as your arrival? I’d hate to be her.”

A Trial? What the hell were they talking about? Nothing was starting to make sense and the nausea was coming back again, taking her over. She swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat and looked down at the entrancing campfire. There was hardly any logs in it, and the ones that were in there weren’t burning. This was something that she’d never seen before.

“The Entity must be hungry.” Detective Tapp muttered. “There’s a lot of new people at one time.”

“Don’t scare the girl.” Laurie said.

“Best to prepare her while we can.” Feng said.

“Groovy.” Ash said, “So—”

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” A red-haired girl with a bob was ushering two more injured people. Something behind them closed and was swallowed up by the fog before she could make out anything.

“You’re back!” Nancy said, standing up.

“The new girl?” Jeff asked, looking at the numbers.

_They had said four… right?_

The three that had come into the clearing injured and bleeding from various places shook their head. The woman that had a short blue-black haircut wiped some blood off her face with a shaking breath.

“…”

_Did she die? What the hell is going on here?!_

“She was right there…” A young black woman with glasses looked down at the ground. Her voice was cracking, and Lailah’s heart began pounding. “S-She was right there. He-He grabbed her! Right from the barrier! She--…”

“Claudette…” The ink haired woman said.

“I had a hold of her!” The woman called Claudette screamed. “I… I had a hold of her.”

Lailah looked at the terrified woman. All three of them were bloody and panting. Where had they come from? She couldn’t find anywhere in the distance to show some sort of starting point. There was nothing there. Yet, they had run from nothing. How was that even possible?

“Lailah… This is Claudette Morel, Nea Karlsson, and Meg Thomas.”

“Another one?” Meg asked, looking at Lailah.

“Yeah.” Laurie said with a sigh. “We found a good amount in the forest, but… not enough for everyone.”

“Some people are gonna have to go without.” Bill said, blowing some smoke from his lips. “They’ll have to deal with it.”

“That doesn’t make it easier, Bill.” Laurie said.

“Nothin’ about this is easy.”

A young woman entered the cleared like she was pushed. She landed on the ground on all fours, coughing. The woman had strawberry blonde hair. Clearly dyed. The woman was Japanese and had a purple jacket on and goggles resting on her forehead. Was this the woman that Claudette had been freaking out about? Why was she worried if the woman was right here?

“Yui…” Claudette muttered. “I’m sorry… I tried.”

The woman called ‘Yui’ coughed and nodded her head. Whatever had happened, it didn’t seem like she blamed Claudette. She was grunting and keeping her body still as she coughed. Halfway through another coughing fit, she held onto her shoulder. Lailah was worried that the woman was going to cough herself to death. Just as she ended up thinking that, she calmed down and was able to push herself standing, albeit awkwardly. She wiped something from the corner of her mouth and looked down at Lailah. There was something in her eyes that she couldn’t place; it was strange.

“My name is Yui Kimura.” Her voice was hoarse, almost like she hadn’t talked in a while or had been kicked in the throat.

Everyone had ended up pitching together to get the other three cleaned up. Claudette was still looking at Yui with an apologetic look in her eyes. The Japanese woman was adjusting her goggles and resting her back against one of the logs. Why had she ended up coming back to the campfire uninjured while the others were bloodied and beaten. More importantly, why the hell was no one else surprised other than herself and Yui? The woman was staring at the campfire, and she wasn’t sure what the hell was going through her head, but it was something strange. Calculating.

“Who’s gonna tell her?” Yui asked, still staring at the campfire. “You guys know more about it than me.”

Meg sighed and plopped down on the ground and looked down at the ground. It looked like she’d had this conversation more times than she’d care to admit. It looked like telling it another time wasn’t going to make it easier either.

“You’re in the Entity’s Realm.” Meg began. “It’s a place where there are two sides. Each side has an objective: survive and…kill.”

_Kill?!_

“We’re the Survivors. The Entity, the god of this realm—if you want to call it that—collects four people for Trials. There are five generators in each trial that need to be completed in order to power the exit gates and return here to the campfire with the rest of us. I’ve been here for… I don’t even know how long anymore. Time is different here than it is out there. Now that we’re here, we have no idea on what the hell is going on out there. Or how much time has passed. Where we are… it’s a space out of existence, yet here we are. There’s one hitch with getting all these generators done. While there’s four of us, we have no way of fighting back other than our own instincts.”

_Fighting back against what?_

“On the opposite side… there are Killers. As the name implies, they try to sabotage and kill us during said Trial. They put us on… God dammit… how do I say this?”

“They put us on meat hooks.” Bill took over. “It’s a way to sacrifice us to the Entity.”

“There are three phases.” Jake said.

“Hang. Struggle. Dead.” Feng said. “On the first one, you hang there waiting for someone to come and get you. The second one… well, if you _can_ , you have the ability to hold off the Entity for a little bit. If you’re hooked a final time… the Entity takes you and sucks out all the hope that you’ve acquired through the trial.”

All the color left Lailah’s face. This was hilarious. Who was playing this trick on her? Was it The Legion? Was all this some sort of elaborate trick to get her to freak out and stay away from them and the resort? If it was, then they succeeded. There was no way that she would go back to that resort. Perhaps seeing the look that she had, Adam leaned down to her.

“You are not alone.” His Jamaican accent was calming in a way. “It is scary, I will not lie to you. However, teamwork is what’s going to help you through these Trials.”

“As for truly getting out of here…?” Claudette muttered. “None of us know…”

“An alternative escape if you’re the last one here? The hatch. We have absolutely no idea how it got here or how it leads us back to the campfire, but if you can manage to find it before the killer, you can get out alive. However, if the Killer finds it before you do… he _or_ she can close it. The Entity will take that as a collapse for the Trial. You have a certain amount of time to get out by either the exit gate or using a Key that—well… that’s hard to explain. For the time being, just lean on your teammates. While it’s not something you ever get _truly_ used to? It can help if you have people to lean on.” Jane coached.

“Once the collapse of the Trial ends up happening, you can tell how little time you have by the intensity of the ground’s cracking. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll know it when you see it. Opening the exit gates is another way to begin the Trial’s collapse. The only time I would recommend not leaving immediately is trying to get someone. If they’re left on the hook once the timer decreases and depletes, they’ll be sacrificed. If you can’t…” Nea said.

“Leave ‘em.” Ace said.

“Last resort though.” Laurie looked at Lailah.

“The reason you can’t talk right now is because of your body.” Jake explained. “It hasn’t grown accustomed to this world yet and still holds onto the ties of the normal realm. Once you’re fully integrated, you’ll be able to talk.”

“I assume dying is the quickest way…” Yui muttered. “That last one was my first Trial. I couldn’t talk before then.”

“This is a fucking mess.” Steve muttered.

“We can talk all ya want ‘bout it. But it ain’t gonna do much ‘til ya experience it yerself.” David explained.

“I hope you never have to.” Detective Tapp said.

“But that’s wishful thinking. The Entity takes who it wants… when it wants.” Ash said. “You don’t know what Killer you’re going against until you get there.”

_Wow… That’s absolutely terrible._

“One thing to remember is that items can make or break a Trial. Each choice matters. Think carefully, but quickly. While we were there, each of us had latent abilities that manifest themselves into a special ability here in the Entity’s Realm. Finding out yours will help a lot. Once you’re a certain level deep in this realm, certain things can be taught amongst each other. Afterall, like it was said before, teamwork is everything.” Adam said.

Each person looked at Lailah. She had been staring at the fire during their whole conversations. She hated this. As much as she wanted to try and convince herself that this was all a dream or in her head, she knew. Deep down somewhere in her soul, in the primeval part of her being that she didn’t know existed; she knew. This was her life now. There had to be some way to get out of this place. No door was a one way. With enough trial and effort, any door could be open to make it both ways. If they were able to get out of here… they’d have to do everything that they could to make sure that their souls were saved. Someone could only take so much before they broke completely. If that happened, where would they go? What would happen to them?

It wasn’t so much that they were her friends. After all, she had just met them… but she would have to get along with them if there was any hopes of survival between them. If it was a group of four, then each person was needed for a trial to potentially succeed. Lailah wanted to be friends with them all, but she thought back to Frank and how she had watched him leave from the back window back at the orphanage. She had a hard time making friends after that… he was her best friend. No one had been able to make her smile like he did. How was he doing? Maybe her memory of him would be enough to make sure that she was energized. Yes. Once she got out of there, she would try to find him. It didn’t matter who Frank was now, she wanted to see her best friend.

_How many times am I going to have to die though before I get out…?_

“How are you holding up?” Nancy asked.

Lailah staggered upwards and walked a few paces behind the campfire and retched, emptying all the contents from her stomach onto the ground. She could hear some mumbling from the other Survivors at the campfire, but it was drowned out by her projectile vomiting.

“She’s taking it better than I thought she would.” Quentin muttered tiredly.

Lailah wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and staggered back to the spot by the campfire that all the other survivors were at. Feeling completely drained, she plopped to the ground and put her face in her hands and started crying. Tears seemed to be what everyone was expecting because she felt a hand rubbing circles on her back. She wanted to cry. But nothing was coming out. Lailah pulled her hands away from her face and sighed shakily before rubbing her eyes. This couldn’t be happening… It just couldn’t. What about her family?

While she was trying to calm her breath, smoke enveloped the space where her legs were. David had the same smoke around his feet. Jane as well. Feng Min was the last person. What did it mean? It was cold and it felt like needles stabbing into her skin. Terror filled her and a quick look around of pity and worry in people’s eyes let her know one thing,

“Trial time.” David confirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it! Playing 21 characters at one time wasn't easy. I wanted to give them all the same amount of time the best I was able, but clamoring to talk wouldn't make sense to me in this sort of situation.
> 
> Also, Yui coming out December 3rd made me want to put her in here. I'm excited for her release and I figured I might as well put something out there for her so she isn't forgotten.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think.


	6. vs. Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m so, so sorry.”
> 
> NO! Please! I can’t deal with it again!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter at you guys! I hope you enjoy this. I really enjoyed writing this one because I'm a little twisted.

Fog swirled around her. Everyone and everything that had been in front of her was swallowed by that cold, stabbing fog. It took her breath away and left her longing for some air. There was no clue as to where she’d end up or what would happen, but she had no choice other than to roll with it. Hopefully whatever she ended up seeing would be something that would help her get out of there. Time wasn’t something that could be quantified here, so she had no idea how long she’d been away from her parents but it was already too long for her. If she hadn’t went up to the resort that day… then she wouldn’t be here. Even though the crazed woman chased her into the woods, it was truthfully her own fault for heading the direction that she had.

Just as Lailah felt she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, the fog cleared. The first thing that she noticed was how wet she was. She brushed some wet hair from where it was caked to her eyes and forehead. Wherever she was, it was absolutely _pouring_ rain. Trees were lush and green, but dense in the surrounding area. It was hard to see too far in front of her due to the fog and the rain that was constantly having to blink from her eyes. She looked around, hoping to find one of the others that were with her. There _were_ supposed to be three others here… right? How the hell was she supposed to know where the Killer was at? Lailah hunkered down and moved along the outer recesses of the area she was in. The other survivors had told her about the generators. All she had to do was find one and repair it. How hard could it be?

Lailah moved to the cottage in the middle. Up on the second floor, she could see some flickering lights. That _had_ to be the generator. As much as she wanted to find where the others were and stick to them like glue, she couldn’t. Calling out for them wasn’t an option because she couldn’t talk. Even if she could that would be the stupidest decision ever. It would get probably not only her, but everyone else killed too. All she had to do was get into the cottage and over to the gen. Exhaling shakily, she entered the cottage.

It was beautiful inside in a morbid sort of feel. It was older with a wooden table and a wooden set of chairs. Perhaps once they were taken care of, but now they looked rotten and the red cloth laid across the middle was holey and torn in some areas. There was a fire going and she wanted to stay there and get warm, but every second counted. She looked around for any way up to the second floor. Turning a corner, there was a staircase that led out onto a wooden sort of balcony where the generator was. So far so good. There was no one around. While that meant no survivors were around her, it also meant that the Killer wasn’t around either.

Lailah hunkered down on the backside of the generator after taking a look around. Staying out of sight was her best friend. She wiped her hands down her pants, trying to tell herself that it was the rain, but it was sweat. She wasn’t a technician. She had absolutely no idea how the hell she was supposed to repair a generator. Lailah hesitated for a moment, biting at her lip. Her shaking hands felt around for anything that might have helped. The only thing she knew for sure was that all four pistons needed to be going full power for this thing to light up. Somewhere along the back her fingertips tapped something that sounded hollow.

Pulling the small piece of metal aside, she saw the inner workings of the generator. Sweat mixed with the rain on her face. It felt like she was on the bomb squad without training and had two wires to choose from. Truthfully, it wasn’t too far from the truth. No one had told her what happened if she screwed up the gens. Sending a generator lighting up randomly wasn’t a good idea torn down to the basic amounts. Knowing this is what the Survivors needed to do, Killers would undoubtedly come to the noise and light.

Inside of the generator there were many different colored wires. Blue, green, yellow, white, orange; to name a few. She frowned and pulled a couple of the wires trying to untangle them. Peeking inside, she could see some sort of torn part near the origin of the wires. The more she pulled, the more she worried. The wires were twisted and knotted, and her shaking fingers were pulling in all the wrong parts. The wires were starting to fray. They were hard enough in general to figure out how to use, but when they were frayed… it was almost impossible.

_Please, please, please…_

Lailah tried to untangle the frayed wires but ended up crossing a couple. She winced when a small electric current stung her fingers. The generator exploded and threw some sparks back at her inadvertently making her scream. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. Lailah had to find somewhere to hide. _Anywhere_. Thinking with her thundering heart and her fight or flight instinct, she saw a red locker on the first floor. With shaking hands, she opened it and went inside, closing the door behind her.

A weird sparkling happened in front of her locker after a bell dinged twice. Some sort of… creature was in front of her locker. If she had to guess, she would assume that it was about 7 feet tall. His body was thin and looked like he was wearing a shroud. He was black and white, wrapped up in some sort of bandages. A face was almost indiscernible with orange-red eyes. The creature went up the stairs and she heard a loud sound twice. Lailah was sure it was the sound of him kicking the generator. If there _was_ any progress, it was certainly gone now.

The creature came back down the stairs and stopped right in front of the locker. He turned and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. Lailah prayed over and over that the creature wasn’t going to open the door. Clearly her luck was shitty. Just coming to this weird realm was enough to prove that her luck was terrible. The creature opened the door and Lailah screamed. His weapon was slammed next to her head so hard that it made the locker bend and made her head ring. The creature pulled her out of the locker by her throat. Lailah panicked and choked, slamming on his wrist and trying to pull his cold hand from her throat. He hoisted her over his shoulder and walked out of the cottage.

Lailah screamed and kicked. She pounded against his back. She found it strange that she was able to scream and groan but wasn’t able to talk. The creature tightened his grip on her so tight that it was hard for her to breathe. Her chest being pressed into his bony shoulder didn’t help either. She didn’t have to wonder what was going to happen for long because the creature stopped and slammed her body onto something sharp.

A loud shriek ripped through her lungs and tore through her vocal cords. Her vision pulled black among the edges. Lailah gripped onto what was sticking out of her body and lifted her legs up. Her body went limp and she reached up one hand to touch the meat hook that was sticking out of her chest. The creature in front of her tilted his head to the side and dinged his bell twice before disappearing before her eyes completely. Her gaze remained on the ground below her. Tears fell from her eyes mixing with the rain that was perpetually falling in this forest. Was _this_ what she had to look forward to for the rest of her life? Did she even age here? Was this for eternity?

She looked up and saw three yellow forms in various parts around the forest. Was this something that had to do with her being in this realm? She’d never been able to see people like this before. Blood fell from the wound and started to stain her clothing. From around the base of the meat hook, she was able to see tendrils starting to form. Gurgles of spit and blood spilled from the corner of her lips. Was anyone even truly able to survive this? If she wasn’t in the Entity’s Realm, would this sort of wound killed her? One of the yellow forms came closer and she saw it was Jane. She ran up to her and grabbed onto her. Lailah closed her eyes and cried out lowly when she pulled her off, ripping the hook from the meat of her body.

“Come on.” Jane whispered, motioning for her to follow.

Lailah held onto her shoulder and followed Jane, crying along the way. This wasn’t real. None of this could be real. All she had to do was wake up and she’d be unconscious back home. Jane turned and looked around them before she opened the med kit she had. She took something that looked like gauze and another thing that made her blood turn cold. It was a surgical suture. Lailah shook her head. There was no numbing liquid. A scream was heard from the distance and she looked at Jane and nodded. Tears were filling in her eyes and Jane held her as close as she was able without obscuring her work. She dug the needle into the tender and torn skin, quickly working to pull the open wound together. Lailah silently cried and what felt like an eternity later, Jane bit off the excess and wrapped her arm in gauze.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

Another loud scream tore through the air and Jane looked back over at Lailah; motioning for her to follow. She led Lailah over to another generator and together they crouched down next to it. Watching Jane’s work, she was able to follow in a way. Sadness overtook her again when the gen backfired again. Apologizing to Jane with her eyes, she watched the creature materialize by them again. Lailah turned around and started to run. Each nerve that was severed from being placed on the hook and then torn off somehow still sent the signals of pain through her body. Even though she had full movement again, it didn’t stop the pain. Crying, she ran away from the creature which followed her. Jane pushed against the thing the best she was able, trying to get in front of it. She screamed out once the creature smacked her. Her arm was bleeding, but she still stayed between the creature and Lailah.

She took a sharp turn and ran into the cottage and through it. In the distance, she saw Feng Min leaning down and David working on her. They were all screwed, and Lailah knew that it was all her fault. She couldn’t apologize enough to her teammates. Altruism was a major part of these Trials, but… she wasn’t sure what she could do. She was inexperienced in generators; she’d already been on the hook, and she didn’t know how to really use anything in the med kid effectively. Lailah covered her mouth when Jane screamed from behind her and cried into her hand. Jane’s scream tore through the sky again.

Off in the distance, she saw David and Feng Min working on a generator. The pistons were firing back and forth wildly. Just as she was heading over there to help the best she was able, the generator’s lights brightened and she knew that was done. That would mean that they had four left.

“What happened?” David asked.

Lailah was still unable to talk, but her tears seemed to convey the message clearly. David tapped Feng and Lailah on the heads before heading off in a different direction. She followed Feng Min who was also bandaged. She sat at the generator and watched Feng Min work deftly. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was focused. She followed Feng Min the best she was able, making sure to only do what work was handed to her. Having four hands inside of the generator and peeking inside every now and again wasn’t calming. This whole situation was stressful. If she could help Feng Min even a little bit, then she would feel some sort of victory.

“That’s good.” Feng Min assured her, glancing at her from the corner of her eyes. “Keep going. David will keep him busy.”

One by one the pistons fired until at long last, the generator’s lights flooded on. Light had never been such a beautiful thing before. It made her so happy to know that they only had three generators left. Lailah and Feng Min split apart with a “good luck”. It was dangerous to stay grouped up together. Lailah knew that, but it didn’t make it any less terrifying.

The bell dinged behind her. A loud heartbeat started echoing in her ears. It almost matched her own drumming, but it was different. Lailah was unsure how she was able to tell, but that wasn’t her heartbeat. That was the Killer’s. It wasn’t fear that made the beat so loud. It was excitement. Adrenaline. The lust for the hunt. The thrill for the kill. That terrified her even more than the actual emotion of fear. For someone to be that _excited_ of hunting someone else down and murdering them was… disgusting. How could someone do that? How were they going to live another day and look at themselves?

Lailah ran, unsure of where she was going. There was nowhere that she could hide. The others knew this place well, clearly. It wasn’t the first time that they had ever been there. She couldn’t expect them to babysit her. A searing pain slammed between her shoulder blades, tearing at the crude stitches that Jane had placed on both sides of her wound. Lailah managed to look behind her and saw the creature wiping her blood of his skull, staff blade… thing. Little tendrils of flesh hung off the fangs of the weapon. Fear and the hint of a breakdown hit her. He had hooked her, tore flesh from her, and terrified her. Was it possible to for to bleed out here in this realm? She ran through a gap and as he was about to swing at her again, she tried to dodge, but ended up pulling a pallet down instead; making the creature scream out and stop. She ran and took the advantage of the creature stopping to break the pallet.

In the distance, Lailah saw two more generator’s lights turning on. There was only one more left. Lailah went over to a generator and saw the rest of her teammates on the generator.

“Go get near a gate, it’ll ding when yer able t’ open it. Got it?” David instructed.

If that was what she could do to help them, she’d do it. Lailah waited near the exit gate that was closest to the generator that her teammates were working on. Of course, not out in the open, but enough to where she’d be able to get to it in time. David’s scream rang through the air and Lailah covered her ears and sniffled as tears fell again. This was so unfair. Terrible. Inhumane. She hated it. The control panel let out a loud sound and Lailah immediately ran over to the panel and pulled down the handle, holding it while the bulbs started to light up. When the second bulb lit up out of three, Lailah was pulled off of the exit gate’s switch.

Lailah screamed at the top of her lungs. She kicked and punched at the creature.

_NO! Please! I can’t deal with it again!_

The pain stabbed through her, ripping open the stitches and tearing once more through the hole that was made by the previous hook. Tears were melded with the rain as she screamed out. The tendrils that had started to appear were fully there and Lailah just barely managed to hold one back. It was like arm wrestling with someone that you know is stronger than you, and yet somehow you’re just barely to keep them at bay.

Lailah was able to see the exit gate and David opening it while Jane and Feng Min stood behind him. When the gates opened, she couldn’t help but notice the ground turning red underneath her. It was like lava was starting to crack through the ground. So this is the collapse of the Trial. David took a step towards her and while fighting off the claw, Lailah shook her head. She wasn’t able to scream to tell them to leave, but if she was able to see them from far away when she was on the hook, she assumed the others could see her as well. They all looked at her once more, hesitating before turning around and heading through the gate.

The claw tore through her grip and impaled her from the stomach, the back, and the sides. She had barely any time to let out a scream before darkness overtook her. Before she lost everything, she was able to feel some sort of light feeling, like she was being lifted. When Lailah opened her eyes again, she was at the campfire and was pushing her tired body off the ground. All of the others looked down at her. Claudette came over with Dwight and helped her up and allowed her to relax the best she was able.

“I heard from the others…” Ace said.

“The Wraith.” Claudette sighed. “That’s what we call him…”

“Fitting.” Lailah said and then gasped, a soft cough coming from her.

Some of her teammates looked excited for her newfound ability to talk, while others looked disheartened. She coughed, holding her throat like there was something stuck in there. When her coughing subsided, she looked over at her teammates from the last trial. Claudette was tending to Feng Min and David.

“I’m sorry…” David said.

“No, it’s fine. I told you to leave.” Lailah said.

“That was brave of you.” Feng Min muttered, wincing when Claudette touched her wound. “Especially when you didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“I just… you guys took care of me. I couldn’t let anything happen to you because of my incompetence.”

“You’re pretty selfless.” Nancy commented.

“…Thanks.”

“Now that we have some down time, and we can actually hear from you, what happened?” Jeff asked.

“Well… My parents bought this ski resort close to our house. They were going to renovate it and try to get it popular again. They’d been working over a year on it. It just went through yesterday… All this time I’ve been clearing the surrounding area to make things better and easier. It was crazy how many things I saw; tourniquets, drug bottles, beer bottles, smiley face…pins…”

“Smiley face pins?” Jeff commented.

“Yeah. Weird right? They were like a calling card for this group called ‘The Legion’. I uh… Anyway, I was cleaning, wiping off graffiti; you know… all the good things. Well, I ended up running into The Legion. And uh… well the leader took a notice to me. He flipped me one of those stupid pins. ‘Oh. Smile by the way. After all, you’ve caught the eyes of The Legion’ was what he said to me.”

Jeff was fidgeting in his spot and it worried Lailah slightly. Was he not feeling well? Could they even get sick here? If they did would they die? Would they just spawn at the campfire if they did? Would that be a possible way out; getting sick and dying? If it was… well… No! No! She needed to go and get back to her family somehow. Her parents would be missing her.

“Anyway. There were two girls and two guys. The girls didn’t like me. At all. This afternoon, I went to go and clean up since they were going to start the renovations. One of the girls was waiting for me. She gave me one of those stupid pins… but it was all defaced. She basically told me she was going to fuck up my face just like the pin was. Then she attacked me. I ran into the forest behind the resort and well… then I fell down a small, steep ledge and was knocked unconscious. Somehow that brought me here. And it’s not that you’re not all nice people, but… I wish I hadn’t ran into the forest.”

“That crazy girl was going to kill you?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, she didn’t look like she was playing around.”

“Women are crazy.” Ace muttered.

“I’m all my parents have. I’m an only child. Well… that’s not _completely_ true. My parents that I live with now adopted me when I was a kid. They’ve been the best people ever and… they’ve loved me so much. My mom couldn’t have children so they treated and loved me like I was no different. My biological parents… I was an affair child. My mom had an affair and ended up having me. Apparently her and my father had an agreement. She left him alone and he’d give her money to support me. My biological mom married another man and they ended up getting pregnant.”

“…and you were an eyesore.” Yui said.

“To put it bluntly. Yeah.” Lailah sighed and smiled at the Japanese woman who was nodding thoughtfully. She seemed to be thinking as well. “Getting rid of me was easier than raising me.”

“People are cruel.”

“In a way I’m glad they did what they did. I got to make the best friend I’ve _ever_ had. And I love my family more than anything. I hope that I can see them again sometime.”

Silence filled the campfire space. The only thing that they were able to hear was the fire itself crackling. Lailah looked at the sky and rubbed her eyes. She didn’t want to cry in front of these people. Telling her story wasn’t something that she went around just spouting about but talking with these people and getting close to them was something that would create a bond. It would make it easier to help each other. To become more than teammates and become friends.

“I was born in Hida, Japan. I liked to race scooters and things like that. My dad was very traditional and considered it a ‘man’s sport’. My grandmother though… she _always_ supported me and fueled my passion. She’d share my grandfather’s mechanic manuals. I ended up customizing my scooters so I could keep up with motor cross boys. I eventually told my father that I didn’t want to go to the traditional route. I wanted to race motorcycles. My father… pretty much disowned me after that. My grandmother gave me her blessings, love, and savings and I headed to Nagoya.” Yui explained.

“Seems like none of us have a happy story.” Dwight said.

“I started racing illegally. Not to brag, but I became pretty damn popular. Popular enough to get a lot of fans, a lot of money, and… a stalker. At first I was thinking that I was just overreacting because I was tired all the time. I ended up finding him in my home eventually and we got into an altercation. I ended up breaking my foot and leg in several places. I went through rehab, it was hard… but my gang—the Sakura 7 Gang—ended up helping me and we started being a support group for women who need help from stalkers and abusers.”

“Wow Yui, that’s great…” Feng Min said.

“Indeed.” Jake muttered.

Lailah listened to everyone’s story. It was definitely interesting. Some of these sounded weird. Some of them didn’t make sense. Some of the terms that her teammates were using didn’t make sense. What the hell was a forum? Claudette had been posting on botany forums in college. Bill was talking about something that sounded straight from a post-apocalyptic world.

“When are you from?” Bill asked.

“I-I’m sorry, wait what? ‘ _when_ ’?” Lailah blinked.

“Time is happening. It doesn’t matter what we’re going through. That’s not what’s happening all the time. Each person’s life is going different. Here? There is no time.” Bill said, blowing out some smoke from the cigarette that never seemed to end. “The Entity plucked some of us from different times; different branches.”

“You’re talking about quantum theory?” Adam asked, shocked.

“It would make sense. How the hell do you explain my story, Ash’s, and the two kids in comparison to everyone else’s?”

“Plucked from different times; different time _lines_. It’s said that there’s an infinite number of timelines happening all together, all at once.” Adam mused. “That would strangely make sense. I’m shocked, Bill.”

“’cause I’m old?”

“No, Sir. Considering your past, I wasn’t sure that knowledge such as quantum physics and theories were available.”

“Well we weren’t always attacked by the undead.”

_This… is slightly almost comical._

“If the Entity is taken people from separate timelines, then we have to assume that its more powerful than we ever thought possible. Taking people from times in one line seems hard and impossible enough, taking people from different lines? That’s almost pushing it into some strange fiction.”

“That’s a lot of thinking. We’ve got a while. Better not think too much at one time.” Jake said.

“Agreed.” Meg added. “We need to let Yui and Lailah relax.”

“Didn’t answer my original question, Kid.” Bill said. “When were you pulled from?”

“1996.” Lailah chuckled. Weird to think that some people that she thought were the same age as her are actually many, _many_ years younger than her. “I was born in 1978.”

“You’re old.” Meg commented making Lailah for the first time since she arrived, laugh.

“Thanks, Meg.”

Finally, some sort of humor entered the campfire clearing. While many of the men didn’t laugh, she saw a smile on some of them. Hopefully, if they all got out of here, she would be able to see them. Some of them though would be strangely out of the question because they shouldn’t even exist. Lailah rubbed her eyes and laid by on the ground.

“Does the sun ever rise?” Yui muttered.

“Not in Hell.” Bill said and Lailah watched the man close his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! There you have it! I wanted to do more, but I didn't want to drag it out and make it all rushed. I have a problem with run on chapters sometime. Since the Entity's Realm is primarily trials, I have to space things out better to get my own story in there at the same time. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it.
> 
> I also wanted to somehow make the licensed characters (that had outlandish stories) canon. So I came up with the quantum theory idea. I hope that you liked it.
> 
> Let me know what you think! Have a good day/night!


	7. Food For The Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I… I couldn’t get it. There was… There was so much blood…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are with another chapter guys. It's seven chapters in. Hard to believe! This was super fun to write and I hope you enjoy it.

When first meeting her teammates the concept of being in a timeless place wasn’t something that she could completely process. No, it was more that she didn’t fully believe it. Yes, she’d been in a trial with something that wasn’t even human and had somehow survived being impaled on a meat hook twice despite the immense amount of blood that she had lost. Yet, she just couldn’t grasp the idea of time never passing. It was just common sense that the sun would rise after the moon’s cycle. Well, common sense didn’t belong here. True to Bill’s word, when she woke up from a less than restful sleep the moon was still above. It was true that the thought of her not sleeping through the night had crossed her mind, but when she looked at the moon she instantly knew. He had spoke the whole, complete, and irrevocable truth. The sun hadn’t, _wouldn’t_ rise. The moon was in the same place that it had been when she had fallen asleep. Light was nowhere to be found. It had abandoned her; _them_. No matter where one looked, the only thing that greeted them was darkness.

“There’s no sense in worrying about it, Kid.” Bill muttered calling Lailah’s attention. The old Vietnam vet was leaning against the log, bags under his eyes. “Dwell on every detail here and you’ll go crazy. Hope and each other is all we have and can depend on here.”

Lailah glanced around at the other survivors. All of them were sleeping with the exception of Yui, Bill, and herself. A hard ground probably wasn’t comfortable for an old man. Yui and her on the other hand had just arrive and Lailah was almost positive that the same sort of thoughts and worries were going through her head. What about her friends? Were the other members of the Sakura 7 Gang looking for her at this moment? Had time stopped in the “real world”? If it had, what would make it continue? Her return? Her true death? Or would it just be stopped for the rest of eternity?

“How haven’t you lost your sanity, Old Man?” Yui asked, moving so that her elbows were resting on her knees.

Bill huffed a laugh and sat up to look at them.  
“When ya get to be my age, Kid, and when you see what I have, nothing fazes you anymore.”

“Right. Zombies, right?” Yui was clearly still in disbelief. Lailah couldn’t say that she blamed her. Back home zombies and anything post-apocalyptic was just something in movies or books. To hear someone that was old enough to be her grandfather saying that he actually had gone through some of it was a little worrying. “Have you gone to the doctor and been checked for Alzheimer’s lately?”

Lailah was worried that Bill was going to start yelling at her and wake up the rest of them. If this is what they had to worry about for the rest of… forever, then getting sleep to be in tip top condition was a necessity. However, the vet just huffed a laugh and shrugged.

“Even if I wanted to, I’m kinda shit outta luck.”

All three were quiet, listening to the sounds of the others either breathing or having small snores here and there. A couple were crying, others had their brows furrowed, and some—strangely enough—looked like they were smiling. Those would fade as soon as they woke though.

“How many times—”

“We all have at one time or another.” Bill said and looked at Lailah. “Claudette tends to cry more than the others. That doesn’t mean that she isn’t strong. Broad’s probably one of the strongest women that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowin’.”

Lailah watched as Laurie and Jeff woke up. Jeff looked at the three of them and sighed. Laurie didn’t even bother to look around and kept her eyes on the fire. Even though she looked retreated into herself and looked defeated, she could see the flames of determination mingled with the reflection of the fire in her eyes. Beaten and battered, yes. But in no way was Laurie defeated. What kind of horrible things had she endured? Lailah wanted to ask all of them, but she felt like it was asking a PTSD war vet. Some things were better left unasked and therefore unanswered. Why make someone relive something horrible just to sate your own curiosity. That’s cruel.

“Have you two been to sleep yet?” Laurie asked, keeping her gaze on the campfire.

“Couldn’t.” Yui muttered while Lailah shook her head.

“There aren’t many things to do here, but you’ll be grateful to get some sleep while you can. When the Entity finds someone with especially new and tasty hope, it doesn’t let them rest for a while.”

“…” Lailah looked down at her hands.

“That reminds me, there’s a couple things we didn’t go over with you.”

“There’s more?” Lailah asked, bewildered. She’d heard of on the job training, but this was ridiculous.

“These two things are the most important.” Laurie said. “They might be just the thing you need to turn a Trial in your favor.”

“That sounds like something we should’ve heard about earlier.” Yui said.

“There wasn’t enough time.” Feng Min muttered, rubbing her eyes. “It’s not like all of this is taken well.”

“Fair.”

“How long have you been awake?” Lailah asked.

“Long enough.”

Bill blew some smoke from his lips and flicked the ashes at the edge of his cigarette to the side. That cigarette and the campfire were probably of the two most interesting things here. Looking around this realm could be dangerous, but if she was going to try and help these people that were trapped her for a lot longer than she was, she knew that some exploration was going to be needed.

“So… what are these special things that you need to explain to us?” Lailah asked.

“We call it the Bloodweb and Offerings.” Feng Min said.

“That sounds… bloody.” Lailah muttered and gave an awkward laugh. Shockingly enough, she got a small laugh out of Feng Min too.

“I hope you aren’t afraid of blood.” Bill said.

“No. Not at all.”

“Good for you. Can’t tell you how difficult it was to get Dwight used to it. He’d been here longer than me and he was still worried about the whole thing. Truthfully, I don’t really think the little fucker is.”

“So, what’s this whole Bloodweb thing?”

Each person adjusted themselves around the campfire. It didn’t look like they were worried about the whole thing. It just looked like they were expecting something. Maybe a freak out? She felt like she had done enough of that for a lifetime. Somehow, she felt that this was only the beginning.

“There are others here besides us. Or at least were at one time.” Laurie said.

“Jake found something that looked like a journal page during one of his Trials. It was from someone called Benedict Baker. We don’t know anything about him, but we have come across various pages that were scattered around during Trials. It’s been read to everyone that’s come here. It’s a good prequel to just explaining what it is.” Feng Min said.

“Sounds useful.” Lailah commented. Feng Min went to a small space between the logs and fished through something before she pulled out a piece of paper.

“’November 1896. Last night I got out of the fog, in a matter of speaking. I arrived in a pocket of tranquility. Where the monster was nowhere to be seen. I stopped running and was immediately filled with a strange calmness. I lay down near the bonfire and closed my eyes for the first time in what seemed like days. After long, deep breaths, I plunged into what I first thought was the darkness of a dreamless sleep. And then I saw it. The Bloodweb, a space between reality and abstraction. There is no sleep here, only torment. Even my own mind is shared and bent at the Entity’s will’.”

“Benedict Baker…” Lailah trailed off. The paper was yellowed and while it was old and tattered, it was well revered among these survivors. Whatever bit of a makeshift manual this man left behind, they had to cherish. It was their livelihood for now.

“So you mean to tell me that they’re not dreaming?” Yui pointed a thumb to the survivors that were sleeping with smiles on their faces.

“Not even close.” Bill said. “The only dreams we have are nightmares. Just like Baker said, anything else we’re in the Bloodweb. It might as well be a dream. Nothing can harm us there.”

“It exists in a space between here and there. Between something and nothing.” Jeff muttered. “At least that’s what I’m getting from it.”

“Sounds as close as we can get to understanding it.” Laurie nodded.

“When you’re in a Trial, the Entity continues to feed. It’s not enough to where it can kill you while you’re walking around, but it is constantly feeding on your hope. The Entity is something foreign to your body; something that shouldn’t exist. When that foreign presence starts invading, it corrupts the body and the blood. Getting sacrificed is the easiest way for the Entity to feed. It causes the most corruption.” Feng Min began.

“That—” Yui began but was cut off.

“There is some good that comes from this however. When we get back to the campfire either from escaping or being sacrificed, we can access the Bloodweb. It’s accessed either through slumber; but that’s taking a gamble on whether or not you’re going to actually enter or just have a nightmare. We don’t have control over that. The Entity has control.’

“What’s good about that?” Lailah asked.

“There’s a way to access the Bloodweb other than the gamble of slumber.” Feng Min said and pointed to the roaring campfire.

“Bloodletting.” Bill said.

“Come again?” Lailah said, awkwardly laughing. “Bloodletting?”

“Mm.”

“You don’t have to every Trial. In fact, I don’t recommend doing it every trial. Once there’s enough to obtain something, you’ll start to feel the sensation of needing to break through something. Like the feeling you get before you break the surface of some water. When you get back to the campfire and just let all the corrupt blood out. If the Entity is pleased enough at the blood you’ve shed for it and the hope it’s eaten, you’ll be rewarded.”

“With?” Yui asked, leaning forward, clearly more interested than she had been before.

“Toolboxes. Med kits. Keys to open the hatch. It’s hard to tell. They can stock up, but you can only carry one at a time. The Entity doesn’t want you to breeze through after all.” Laurie explained. “Point is, you’ll at least get something for the blood you’re shedding.”

“That’s… not really making me feel better.” Lailah said.

“Sorry.” Feng Min smiled. “Not much I can do about that.”

“Offerings.” Jeff muttered. “Some of us will venture around beyond the campfire clearing to find something that we can use to offer to the fog, via burning in the campfire.”

“It was trial and error finding things that would help.” Laurie said. “But we’ve got a good idea now.”

“Some benefit everyone in the trial. Others benefit only the person that offered it. Such as flower bunches. Doing certain actions will call the Entity to feed more off of you. Now, it can make it seem like you don’t want to do those actions, but that lets you offer more to the Bloodweb therefore getting more in return. It’s a parasitic symbiotic sort of relationship.” Adam said.

“Adam, you’re up?” Lailah said.

“Yes. I’ve been up for quite some time, but it has been relatively peaceful, so I decided to try and rest more.”

“Sorry…”

“No, you’re fine.” Adam promised. “I propose that the next time we decide to travel into the forest, we take Yui and Lailah with to experience the gathering process.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Jeff muttered.

Fog circled around her feet and she sighed. While she was sure that the others had been through countless Trials, she didn’t want to be subjected to that anymore. Was it because she knew more about this realm now? Was that the reason that he was choosing her again? Lailah was pulled from the campfire and the people around her. The stinging needles of the fog dug into her now. Once she was able to see the world around her again, she was in what looked like a storehouse.

In every direction that she looked there were blue and white containers that were held inside black wired containers. The floors and walls were grimy. Pallets were littered here and there. A white van could be seen in the distance beyond a bloody meat hook. Lailah would never get used to this sight. She moved around the shadows the best that she was able. Each footstep that she took echoed in the large area. The Killer would find her in no time. She had to find something to help her teammates. Shit, first she had to _find_ her teammates. The fog had overtaken her so quick, the only person that she knew for sure was with her was Bill.

Her breathing was heavy and she could hear it echo just like her footsteps. There was a generator in the corner. Keeping what Feng said in mind, she went over and opened the control panel. Something was wrong though. Each time she’d put wires together that she _knew_ would go together, they fizzle and the generator would smoke.

_This is completely ruining my progress…_

Lailah decided to abandon the generator. She didn’t have enough experience to try and figure out how to work through it. Something like flames flickering in the distance caught her attention. She headed over to it, making sure to be as quiet as possible. There were three skulls sitting upon sticks with three bones in the shape of a triangle at the bottom. Three lit candles were underneath.

_This looks important._

She took a deep breath and blew out the candles from the bottom. Just as the flames disappeared, they returned. By the third time she did it, she realized that it wasn’t going to work. She would have to figure _something_ out. Rubbing her sweating hands on her pants, she reached onto the strange fixture and started pulling at some rope. A talisman that was hanging from the side lit up with strange characters and burned her hand, causing her to recoil.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.” Lailah whispered. “Don’t be useless all your life.”

Bearing through the pain of the fixture’s talisman lighting up, she it apart. All at once it exploded with a strange sound and the candles went out. A scream from one of her teammates echoed against the walls. Lailah watched Meg running up the stairs and running from her with a strange woman in tow. Peeking from her hiding spot, she watched the woman break the pallet that Meg had dropped and saw her in a red jacket and a pair of blue jeans. The heartbeat and adrenaline of the Killer hunting a human slowly lowered and Lailah knew for the time being, she was safe.

“I _have_ to do this generator. I don’t think I’ll get another chance.”

Shockingly enough, when the generator wires started touching the smoke wasn’t rising from it anymore. Whatever she had done to that skull fixture seemed to have worked. Her fingertips burned, but she couldn’t let that stop her. One by one, the pistons fired away. Another scream shouted through the storage house. Peeking from around the corner, a woman in a pig mask was running from Meg. Once the heartbeat died down, Lailah moved over to Meg.

“No. No… No!” Meg said as Lailah was grabbing her. “Run!”

The Pig faced woman came up behind her and picked her up and hoisted her over her shoulder. Lailah screamed and began to struggle. Surprisingly, the woman dropped her to the ground. She was about to press herself up, but the woman straddled her and opened something and slammed it onto her face. It covered her whole head and something was forcefully inserted into her mouth. It was metallic and tasted rusty. Something clicked behind her head. It sounded like a lock. Her screams were muffled, and she began to pull at the device on her head when she was put back on the woman’s shoulder. Whenever she tugged at it, she could feel some pressure at the base of her neck and her mouth.

The flesh and muscle was torn through again when she was thrust upon that meat hook. Lailah screamed out and tried to rise up from the hook. Her body was bleeding, and she was shaking so hard she looked like she was thrust into subzero temperature. What the hell was this on her head? Loud footsteps could be heard and from the distance, she saw Bill running over to her and lifting her from the hook earning a muffled scream.

“Damn…” Bill muttered. “Listen, look around for boxes. They’re metal. A strange fucker is on it. Inside is a key. Go find it. Hurry!”

Shaking and in pain, she ran away from Bill and around the map. A tell tale trail of blood was leading the Killer right to her, but when a generator pinged in the distance, she heard something click from behind her and she heard what sounded like the ticking of a clock. Her eyes widened and she screamed out, feeling behind her head. Just as she feared, a clock was there and she found feel the ticking beneath her fingertips on the beveled glass.

Lailah ran around, finding one of those boxes Bill was talking about. On top was a strange white puppet with swirls on its cheeks and a black tuxedo on. The metal box had two holes in it where she had to put her hands in. Underneath was some sort of form wrapped in barbed wire. Heart thundering in her chest, she slammed her hands into the holes, screaming at the top of her lungs. It was muffled from whatever was stuck in her mouth. It pulled at the corners and she could feel the skin tearing and felt blood drip into her mouth. The razors that were in the holes cut into her wrists as she searched around in the box. It was cold and felt strange. She had _no_ desire to know what was in there. The more she pushed her hands inside, she more she bled and the more that the razors cut into them. She cried and reached up, pulling at something that was dangling down. With a last scream, she ripped her hands from the metal box and looked at what she pulled out. It was a string that had a small jigsaw piece at the end. The puppet turned its head and let out a strange laugh.

The heartbeat thumped loud in her ears. She threw away the jigsaw piece and pulled her wrists up to her body. She was starting to sweat and the taste of blood in her mouth was becoming overwhelming. Lailah ran downstairs and found a room that had ice around it and hanging pig carcasses. Another of her teammates screamed. Another one. A generator dinged in the distance. Lailah ran through a red room where a dead body was sitting on a chair with a TV in front of him full of white noise, the same sort of trap on his head. Tripping over another dead body that laid in the hallway, she turned into what looked like a bathroom.

A dead body was chained to a wall near a toilet. A generator was in the bathroom as well, pistons flailing wildly. Hopefully that would mask the sound of her whimpers. Off by the toilet was another one of those boxes. Lailah looked and saw the back of the toilet was pulled off. A heart was drawn on the tank. What sort of twisted game was this? Lailah couldn’t think about what those people went through, she had to worry about herself. She looked down at her slit wrists and silently apologized before thrusting them back into the other box. The razors dug deeper into her cuts and even sliced into some new flesh. Tears continued to fall down from her eyes as she searched. There wasn’t anything at the top like there was in the other box. She would truly have to search for it. The ticking at the back of her headpiece began to go faster and it started to beep.

One of her teammates screamed in the background. Lailah grabbed onto something else in the corner and pulled it out. At the edge of a red silk ribbon was a key with a jigsaw piece attached to it. Slippery from all her blood, she reached behind her head and grabbed onto the padlock, trying to stab the key in. Her shaking hands were making it harder and her hair was now slick with her blood. She screamed and jabbed the key into the lock. The skin from the corners of her mouth pulled and she lost consciousness.

Lailah woke up, grunting and pushing herself off of the ground. It felt like she had been in the ocean for hours constantly getting hit from waves. She reached to her mouth and felt around with shaking hands. It was all okay. Of course, from everything that she heard from everyone else it would be fine if she died, but… that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t remember the pain. She started to cry remembering everything that she had went through. Claudette and Jane instantly ran up to her as she shook and started to break down, feeling around her face.

“It’s okay.” Jane comforted.

“You’re back.” Claudette added.

“I… I couldn’t get it. There was… There was so much blood…” Lailah cried. She could still feel her mouth being ripped completely open from the machine. “I couldn’t get it off!”

“The Pig.” Jane said and pet Lailah’s hair when she slid down to the ground and started sobbing.

No matter how much time passed, she was never going to forget all that pain. Her face _literally_ being ripped open, seeing all those dead bodies, her teammates screaming, that pig lady slamming the machine onto her… there was no forgetting that. Lailah sniffled and sobbed, running her fingertips over her face repeatedly as if expecting it to be ripped completely open like it had been in the trial.

“It’s not there.” Claudette assured, wiping away her tears. “It’s gone.”

With Claudette and Jane comforting her, she ended up slowly calming down. The violent shaking slowed until she was just hiccupping her cries. Lailah looked at the two and exhaled. That feeling of being underwater ready to break through meant that she could get some items from the Bloodweb, but she didn’t think that she could see more blood right now. But… she needed to.

“I-I think… that I can… get something from the Bloodweb.”

“Do you want us to help you?” Claudette asked.

“Y-Yeah…” Lailah said and then started to cry again.

Jane and Claudette helped her over to the fire. Claudette held onto her hand while Jane brought what looked like a shard of metal to her palm. Subconsciously, she pulled against Claudette. Without her consent, Jane just stood there waiting for her okay. Lailah exhaled and started breathing out slowly. Tears fell down her face when the shard of metal cut against her skin, slicing it open. Black red blood flowed from the wound. She expected it to hurt, but it was relieving. It was kind of like going to the bathroom after eating too much or puking up all the gross things her body had stuffed inside. After what felt like an eternity, her blood finally went back to being normal red and then stopped bleeding; just getting a few drips here and there. Detective Tapp came over with some gauze and wrapped her hand.

“I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Back home, I was in charge of the Jigsaw case. He was a man who would set up these little games testing how far his captees would go to save their lives. He only picked people who were bad off. Like alcoholics, adulterers, people like that. Amanda Young was a woman I interviewed on the Jigsaw Case. At the time she was the only woman to have ever escaped. There was something like a reverse bear trap on her head. She had to slice through someone’s body to retrieve the key before it went off.”

_That…_

“Jigsaw got away… I can only assume that Amanda Young is here. I’ve seen The Pig, went against her. It’s a woman. I’ve hit her with a pallet. I know it’s her. If I had’ve just stopped Jigsaw… She wouldn’t be here. Neither would I… and this wouldn’t have happened to you.” Tapp made sure that her hands was completely bandaged right.

“No one is to blame here other than the Entity.” Ace said.

“We have to get out of here…” Lailah said, looking down at her hand.

Lailah sat down and looked at the offerings that were off on the side. How was she going to get through this? Was she supposed to continue to deal with this for good?

“We need to tell her about all the killers. That wasn’t fair to her.” Adam said.

“You’re right… We’re all to blame for her lack of preparation.”

Lailah was gestured to sit down. Each killer was broken down the best that they were able. Some of them sounded worse than the others. The Pig and The Wraith were the only two that she had went against, but she never wanted to go against The Pig again. That was the worst thing she’d ever experienced. The Hag sounded terrible too. Just as Lailah was starting to fall unconscious, the cold stinging was at her ankles again.

“No… Please…” Lailah muttered. She grabbed one of the pieces of fabric, it had a knot at the end. Quickly, she tossed it to the fire before it could completely take her. The others weren’t even back yet. What was the Entity’s obsession with wanting her in Trials? Was it like this with each new person that was there? Fresh meat, so to speak.

Coldness overtook her. Not just the fog. When her vision cleared, her eyes widened. Snow was falling and she was freezing. What was happening? She couldn’t believe it!

_The Mount Ormond Resort_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it! I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! <3


	8. A New Survivor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I can’t wait until next time. See you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are with another chapter. I hope you enjoy. I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping a good update speed. Watch, now that I said that something's gonna happen...

Was she… home? A pinch to the arm and a little pain pricking at her arm assured her that she was indeed at the Ormond Resort. The others had made it seem like she wasn’t able to get out of that realm. Her heart felt heavy and she felt a thick, metallic film over her tongue. If she was home, were the rest of the others as well? Or could it be that somehow, she had been the only one to be expelled from the demonic realm? While her relief could be quantified by the large mist gathering at her lips, she did feel terrible. If she was the only one that escaped, then how could she get the others out? Was it even possible?

The snow fell. Each flake that landed on her skin started to melt. The others just added to the blanket of white puffiness beneath her feet. The primitive need to leave this place took over and she turned, running towards the path. If she could get down and head home, she would tell her parents everything. They wouldn’t believe her; it was hard to believe herself. However, something was wrong with that place. Up on that resort, there was some sort of evil that didn’t need to be touched, fiddled with, or even slightly disturbed.

Stopping dead in her tracks, tears pricked the corners of her eyes. There was no way. This _couldn’t_ be. A large brick wall surrounded the area where the familiar path was supposed to be. Lailah took her palms and pressed against the wall. Cold stone remained steadfast; the wall almost taunting her. She slammed her fists on the stone repeatedly.

“No… No. _No_!” Lailah screamed, continuing to slam her palms against the wall.

So close… beyond the wall was the path. That was the path home. If she somehow managed to even get over the wall, what would await her? That _thing_ would just put her back. She knew it. They were like cattle trying to escape from a slaughterhouse before their imminent demise. Whenever the cattle would be too close to their escape or leaving the confines their pens, they would be corralled back to where they belonged. She rested her hot forehead on the cold brick, sliding down to her knees. For a brief moment, she had hope. There it was… hope. That’s what it gave just to take.

_I can’t give up…_

Lailah stood up, determination coursing through her once depleted body. She had no clue where the rest of her teammates were, or even _who_ they were. For some reason, the Fog had taken her so quick and so thick she hadn’t been able to discern anything that could help her. The Ormond Resort was familiar. Knowing the terrain as well as she did was going to help here. It wasn’t _exactly_ like she remembered, but it was all bent to the Entity’s will. It was still maneuverable. Ignoring the crunching from the snow, she headed towards the small wooden cottage that was in the back. It was the perfect place for all the druggies and alcoholics to hang out while she was cleaning up, so she knew that it would give a good vantage point for seeing where some generators were. From there, she could figure out her next move. If the Entity could be cold and calculating, it was in for a surprise because she could be the same. Just take it a step at a time and make sure to breathe.

Strangely enough, she didn’t hear a heartbeat. This Trial was strange enough as it was. When she screamed, she hadn’t been found. Even walking around, she couldn’t find anyone and there was no heartbeat. Then again, The Wraith didn’t have one either until he uncloaked. Her muscles tensed when she thought about going against him. Then again… when The Pig was crouched, Lailah had been unable to hear the heartbeat either. Lailah’s throat went dry. She couldn’t go against her again…

_No. Calm down… there’s none of those boxes around._

From up in the small wooden shack, she peeked out the window. Snow. Snow. More snow. A generator that wasn’t being worked on. Three hooks in varying places. The back side of the resort. Wait… what was that? Someone was over by a generator grabbing onto their head. Whoever it was, was pacing back and forth. Even though Lailah couldn’t see who it was, she could tell how frantic they were. Leaving the person might benefit her. The killer could find them, but… teamwork was essential. Not to mention, there’s no way she could turn her back while the guy was freaking out. While she hadn’t been there too much longer, she knew how it felt to freak out.

Peeking from either side, as if she were crossing a dangerous highway, she checked for anything that could bring harm—or help—to her. Nothing. This was all her. Exhaling, Lailah fast walked over to where the person was frantically looking around. The last thing that the person needed to do was alert the killer. It was hard enough as it was. Especially with her and Yui being new. Having a third one… She felt bad for all the others. The Entity—as stated back at the campfire—must’ve been extremely hungry. Why? It didn’t make sense. There were a _lot_ of survivors here. That was a lot of hope to feed from. It wasn’t like Lailah necessarily knew how much an ancient god sort of creature needed to sustain herself either.

Lailah looked around and made sure that they were alone before she touched the man’s shoulder. He turned and let out a loud sound of shock, slapping her hand away. She put a finger to her lips and a hand up to cover his mouth, hoping to shut the freaking out man up. His brown eyes were darting around, looking her up and down. After a couple seconds, he nodded and Lailah slowly lowered her hand. Her heart was thumping in her chest. The man opened parted his lips and she shook her head.

“No time to explain.” Lailah said grabbing his wrist. “C’mon, we need to find somewhere to hide.”

Being a newbie to the whole Trial thing herself, she wasn’t the best person to keep to the shadows and learn the ropes from. On a normal place that is. _This_ place though, she had a leg up. Guiding the young man the best that she was able, she headed towards the opposite of where they were. A gen popped close to where they were. A few feet from her, Yui could be spotted sneaking around. She gestured over to her and the Japanese woman made her way over quickly, but stealthily. Halfway though, for the first time during this Trial, Lailah heard the heartbeat. It was fast, quick, and thumping wildly. Sharing a look, Yui ran to the side away from them. The heartbeat got faster and Lailah stood up, tugging on the young man.

There was no point in her life where she was athletic, but when your life is on the line tapping into unknown reserves could surprise you. She sprinted towards the resort. It was two stories dilapidated. There were plenty of places that they’d be able to hide. Despite the freezing temperatures and the snow falling just as hard as ever, she was sweating. The young man followed close behind, every now and then looking over his shoulder. Focusing on getting into the resort, she tried to vault over a half wall, but stumbled. Had she not been running for her life, it would be comical. The heartbeat had gotten faster all the while. The speed was incredible. The young man vaulted over the wall with no issue, just barely knocking his shoe against it. He came to rest close to her.

Lailah looked over at the young man who had his head down and his hands on his head. He looked about ready to lose it. Heart thundering against her ribcage, Lailah swallowed the lump in her throat and put her head back against the wall. When the killer’s heartbeat became less intense, she peeked at the young man. He had taken his hands from his head, but he still was looking at the ground. His chest was heaving and he looked about ready to pass out. Slowly, the heartbeat faded away.

Exhaling a large sigh of relief, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Closing her eyes for a moment, she swallowed again hoping to give some moisture to her cotton mouth. How was the new guy holding up? Her gaze traveled over to him. A sharp pain jammed through her side and her eyes widened. She screamed at the top of her lungs. A strong grip took a vice hold on the back of her neck and lifted her up, the knife jabbing into her body the whole time. Her body was thrust to the floor and she groaned when she flopped onto the wood below. Groaning and coughing, she turned herself over. Standing above her, legs spread in a cocky stance, was him! The Legion! He was posing as one of them!

The Legion took his hand and along with the blade wiped it across the smiling mask’s mouth. The wet, red line glistened in the sky’s foggy light making her stomach churn. His head turned slightly and she was sure that the mask was a true reflection of the face underneath. Lailah whimpered and pressed herself back further.

“Well, well, well…” The Legion said. “Look what we have here.”

“You!” Lailah coughed.

“You don’t look too happy to see me.”

“…”

“What a shame,” The Legion twisted his blade back and forth between his fingers. If the circumstances weren’t the current ones, she would’ve been impressed with his deft abilities. “’cause I’m _so_ happy to see you again.”

Lailah gasped when he raised the knife to strike, but before she could think, she jabbed a swift kick to his kneecap. The Legion let out a howl of anger more than pain. Pressing herself up, not listening to her body’s protests, she picked a direction and ran just as two other generators popped. He followed her after a small laugh. It was in no way humorous, and if anything it marked her death. The white snow turned red in small puddles as she ran. Even if she ended up breaking the line of sight, he would end up finding her. There had to be something else that she could do!

Given the large gash in her side, she ran around pallets and snow mounds as best she could. Each place she moved, there was more blood to follow. Tears gathered in her eyes, obscuring her vision. This was insane. _Crazy_! What the hell was _he_ doing here of all people?! Even from the distance between them and her own groans of pain, she could hear his panting. The heartbeat echoed louder. The Legion was thirsty for her blood. Sprinting with what little strength she had, Lailah slammed a pallet down just in time to smack The Legion, sending him backwards a bit. He shook his head and growled, lifting a leg up and shattering the pallet with two kicks. What sort of powers did the Entity give them. A pallet could hold _all_ of their weight when they slid across it, but someone as lean as The Legion could break it in two kicks? Lailah ran back inside the Ormond Resort and grabbed onto the bannister of the stairs, using it to pull herself up. She could only guess how much blood she had lost. The Entity could drain her of all her blood and she’d still be able to run. It thrived off her pain.

With The Legion gaining speed, his bloodlust intensifying, Lailah was running out of options. The hammering of his shoes against the wood making sweat bead on her hairline. Once she could hear The Legion on the second floor, she took a deep breath and jumped off the second floor to the snow below. Unfortunately, she landed right on her side as her legs had given out. It left her incapacitated, failing when she tried to stand up. Once she was finally able to move, it was too late. The Legion was right behind her and had stabbed in between her shoulder blades, keeping her on the ground. Hot tears fell from her eyes onto the cold snow beneath.

Contrary to how he looked, The Legion had no issue with scooping her up onto his shoulder. Every nerve told her to wiggle. To make things harder for him. If he wanted to hook her, he was going to have to work for it. As if sensing her plan, his grip tightened to where his fingers were digging into the wound on her side, which left her a crying mess. The Legion had brought her back to the Ormond Resort. Then to somewhere that was exclusive to this realm. He walked down some stairs and the atmosphere became heavy. Whispers, almost like _chanting_ seemed to seep through the walls of this room. In the center, a shrine of four hooks were placed. Blood stained on the floor, walls, and the hooks themselves. He finally released her, slamming her onto the hook in the far back. Lailah had no time to scream as The Legion slashed at her after he had impaled her.

“ _That’s_ for not being very nice to me.” His muffled voice held humor. “It’s not polite to kick you know.”

Lailah cried, hanging on the hook. It would be too much effort to talk. Right now, it hurt to even breathe. The Legion sighed and turned around and headed the way they had come. His footsteps could be heard overhead. She had to be in a basement of some kind. It hurt to even look up to see the auras of her teammates. All she could focus on was the steady dripping of her blood on the already red stained floor and the chanting of words she didn’t understand in the walls. Whatever this place was, she assumed it was the closest that they could get to the Entity.

The tendrils of the Entity’s claws started to appear faster than they would when she was outside. How…? Out of everything that she was going through, she had to deal with The Legion?! The _Leader_? Why was he here? How did he even get here? Footsteps creaked the steps to the basement and she lifted her head. Yui was in front of her. She took a deep breath and pulled Lailah off the hook with a yell.

“I’m sorry…” Yui muttered and quickly escorted her out of the basement.

The amount of blood she was dripping was going to give their location away with no problems. Quickly, Yui nestled them away in a shadowed corner of the resort. A loud scream was heard in the distance. It sounded like Adam. Her cool-headed demeanor was unable to hide her worries as she tried to patch Lailah up. Pointing out her shaking fingers and shuddered breaths wouldn’t do anything to help their situation. Being stitched together without pain medicine was something she wouldn’t get used to. Hopefully she never _would_ have to. The increasing heartbeat did nothing to help Yui’s nervousness. She buried her face in her hand and let her teammate work the best that she was able to.

“That’s all I can do.”

“Thank you…” Lailah said and let Yui help her up.

The Legion’s frantically beating heart faded into the distance. Yui beckoned and since there’s strength in numbers, she followed her towards a generator that had pistons firing. Unfortunately, sparks were also flying out of it. Lailah took a side next to Yui and began to work. Lailah kept focusing on connecting all the frayed wires while listening for the heartbeat. The Legion had already harmed her again. If everything that she had heard about them was true, then that was the least that he was capable of. At first, she had thought that rumors were just rumors, but being here in this metaphysical realm with the leader of the teen gang, she knew how very real rumors could be.

The generator dinged, but Yui and Lailah hardly had any time to bask in their accomplishment. The heartbeat was gaining with a newfound fury. Too close for comfort, The Legion was running back hunched over with his blade ready to stab. Her and Yui ran towards the opposite side of the map. Lailah found a pallet and slid over it, groaning when a stitch popped in her side. Fear gripped her when she saw The Legion do the same. That was the first time she had ever seen a Killer do that. She ran through the resort, hoping to lose him, but he ended up vaulting through a window cutting her off. He turned to her, but Yui ended up pushing Lailah out of the way enough to take the hit for her. The Legion stared at her wiping off each side of his blade on his sleeve. Yui ran in between The Legion and her. Each time that he would try to move around her, Yui would mimic it. Lailah heard a loud scream and saw that The Legion had pushed her into a wall and stabbed her.

The ground cracked and the fluorescent light shone between the cracks. While she was grateful that she had been able to help in some way, she was far from being safe. Adam turned around and saw Lailah in the distance, running over to her and taking a hit from The Legion. He tried to swing again, but Adam pulled her out of the way and into the exit. The Legion stood at the entrance, screaming out and looking down at his hands. Yui ended up running through the gate, and out of the Trial while he was distracted. Adam followed. Kate followed after. The Legion finally looked up from his hands and shook his head, staring at Lailah.

“I can’t wait until next time. See you.” The Legion said.

All Lailah heard as she left the trial was a strange laugh, running through the barrier and back to the campfire where her teammates were waiting.

When the other survivors were in sight again, Lailah fell to her knees. It was the first Trial that she had ever survived. There _was_ some surviving. If she kept doing that, then maybe… just _maybe_ there would be an end to this somewhere. She wouldn’t allow herself to think different. The end wouldn’t be easy to find. If it was, then they would’ve been out of here a _long_ time ago. But it was there… somewhere. And she was determined to find it. Not just for herself, but for her teammates. No… for her _friends_. They were all in the same position; Yui and Adam didn’t need to take those hits for her. Claudette and David didn’t need to bandage her. Feng Min, Jane, and Laurie didn’t have to help explain things and help her with the Bloodweb. She had been trying to keep them at a distance. That put distance between them. That wasn’t healthy. That could be the very thing that drew the line between Victory and Loss.

“You guys survived!” Nancy exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?” David asked, grabbing a med kit.

“We got ourselves a new killer. Knew it’d be too good to be true to get some new friends without any consequences.” Kate muttered, sitting down.

Yui and Adam went to the fire and sliced their hands to let the corrupt blood flow out. Claudette came over to her and tried to help bandage her up. Lailah took off her jacket and examined the work that Yui did before touching it up and starting on her other gashes.

“It was a young man. Probably about 19. Extremely lithe and deadly.” Adam muttered, watching the black blood flow.

“He wore a smiling mask with blood on it.” Yui said.

“What can we call him?” Ace said.

“The Legion.” Lailah chimed in.

“Huh?” Ash asked. “The Legion? Why?”

“I am also curious. A Legion is a Roman military unit of anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 men.”

“I’m not calling them anything.” Lailah said. “That’s who they are.”

Claudette paused.  
“Um… we’re a little confused.”

“Before I came here… remember me telling you about how a crazy woman attacked me? She was part of The Legion. They’re a gang from where I’m from. They weren’t anything too dangerous then. It was vandalism, theft, you know… small things like that. There are four of them. Two girls and two guys. One of the girls attacked me and chased me in here. I met all four of them. The one… that was the leader of The Legion.”

“Do they have actual names?” Steve asked.

“Don’t know. I don’t exactly go around asking gang members what their real names are.”

“That was a stupid question, Steve.” Nancy scoffed, earning one in return from him.

“… Do you think they’re all here?” Jeff asked.

“…No clue. They’re almost always together. So, if the leader is here I think it would be safe to assume that the other three are as well.” Lailah sighed. “And here I didn’t think it could get any worse…”

“Did you do something out there to piss him off?” Yui asked.

“No. All he said was I had ‘caught the eyes of The Legion’. Looking back on it, I think he may have just been talking about himself. Cause the other chick seemed like she just wanted to gouge my eyes out.”

“What makes you ask?” Jane asked.

“That Legion kid ran around trying to take Lailah down, not caring anything about the rest of the Trial. I ran between them, but he pushed me out of the way—stabbed me—but instantly went back to chasing her. It’s almost like he’s obsessed with her.”

The survivors were quiet for a moment.  
“You better hope not.” Laurie whispered.

“It doesn’t sound good.” Lailah agreed.

“Sometimes Killers will become obsessed with a survivor. Sometimes it’s when they’ve went off the deep end again. Other times there are things we do that call the Entity to make the killer switch its focus. Very few times does the killer pick his own obsession from the blue like that. Michael, a man that killed my friends… and my—anyway… he ended up here with me. I’m typically his obsession. It was like that out there.” Laurie explained.

“Being the killer’s obsession isn’t _always_ bad.” Ace commented.

“Ace is right. There are times that it can end up helping all of us work better as a team. Others it benefits the killer. One thing is for sure is that if you’re the killer’s obsession… your learning curve got a hell of a lot steeper.” Jane agreed.

“Obsessions usually go in circles. So I wouldn’t worry too much.” Meg told her.

“Before I left, he looked at me and said ‘I can’t wait until next time. See you’.”

“… Be careful.” Claudette said.

“We’ll be here to help.” Laurie assured.

“Thanks…” Lailah looked down at the blood that was on all the gauze that Claudette had been cleaning her with.

_Who the hell is The Legion? Who is that leader? What does he want with me…?_

_“I can’t wait until next time. See you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! I hope you liked it! I fucking L O V E D writing this chapter. I wrote a lot of this while listening to the lovely fan made Legion chase music by the wonderful Mr Envy on YouTube. I recommend checking them out. Here's the wonderful track that technically brought this chapter to you.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAQnuW8iNm4


	9. Something Old, Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “…What… What the hell happened in there?”
> 
> “Hell… Hell just happened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uh really don't have much to say about this. gnarlybastard is like one of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and is an amazing beta reader. So thanks so much!!

Counting nights or days was a way to quantify how long someone had been in a certain place. Here though, that wasn’t an option. Calculating time was a fleeting dream. There was no point in even trying. It would only end up driving you insane. This place was evil in its purest form. She had never thought that she would miss the sun breaking over the horizon. It had been taken for granted; assumed that she would always see it. Robbed of the sun’s light, the only warmth that she could feel was from her friends, the sweat from her running, and the eternally burning campfire. Right now, she was taking solace in the eternal flames.

Her eyelids were heavy with the forceful slamming in Trial after Trial, leaving her without sleep. However long she had been here, one of the only things going in her favor was that her survival rating was becoming higher. The knowledge of Killers that had been given to her let her check off each one in a metaphorical list. IF she had went against all of them, then she wouldn’t be surprised and left in the dark without a counter strategy. Lailah’s trial with The Pig was still giving her nightmares, and even though she had went against the true embodiment of terror with The Nightmare—Freddy Kruger as Quentin had said—she still remained at the top. The Spirit was a close second though. Watching all of those sections of her body crackling and breaking from each other; working as a singular unit even though they weren’t attached was unsettling.

“They’ve been gone a while, haven’t they?” Dwight muttered, his voice cracking slightly.

“Is that a good thing?” Lailah asked, zoning out as the flames of the campfire danced in her vision.

“It can be.” Adam informed. “Either they are giving a killer a run for their money.”

“I’m sensing an “or” here.”

“ _Or_ , the Killer is toying with them to extract the most hope they’re able.”

“…Cheery.” Yui mumbled.

Silence fell between the Survivors for a bit. All of them lost in different ways; some in their emotions, others in their minds, and some—like Lailah—were struggling to just stay awake. Once the others were back and tended to she was making a trip into the surrounding forest with David, Dwight, and Yui. While there were more than enough people to tend to the four that returned, it was sort of an understood and unspoken rule, they try to be there when the others returned from the Trial no matter how long it took.

“Do you think there’s a way out of here?” Yui asked after a long silence.

“I’d like to believe there is,” Nancy said. “but… I’m not even sure where to start looking for one.”

“Every entrance has an exit. Just a matter of findin’ the door.” Bill muttered.

“You got an idea?” Steve asked.

“I think exploration is key here.” Yui sighed. “Have you guys explored beyond the surrounding forest?”

“Not too far.” Claudette said. “We tried, but one of us got lost for… what felt like forever. I didn’t think they were ever going to make it back.”

“Well he’s always been terrible at directions.” Nancy commented.

“Most men are.” Jane agreed. The women gaining up on him just caused Steve to scoff.

“I think we need to all go together. The group that ends up going to the forest, we need to venture out further. Somehow keeping a tether on each other would help that way we don’t end up like Steve.” Detective Tapp commented. “Does that sound okay? What do you think, Lailah?”

“Mm…” Lailah muttered, her head lolling forward jolting her awake. “Yeah… Yeah. Sounds good.”

The others had been so helpful for her. They had always been so, _so_ kind. Their kindness couldn’t help her desperate need to slumber. If she ended up falling asleep, she would have nightmares. It was hard enough to stay asleep as it was without being pulled into a Trial every other second. Even nightmares were welcome right now. There were a couple of times that she had ended up collapsing after so many Trials, but true obliviousness had welcomed her. There were no nightmares. Nothing at the space between physical and abstract. It was a true sleep. Once she had informed the others, some had been curious while others—like Steve and Ace—hadn’t believed her. It was because of that, that Lailah tried to remain awake for as long as she possibly could. It wasn’t guaranteed that she’d truly sleep, but it was a better chance. Quentin, she had particularly felt bad for since The Nightmare plagued him even before he came to this realm. Lailah could only imagine how long it had been since he’d slept well.

Panting and light sobs woke her fully; instantly. Kate, Laurie, Ace, and Meg staggered back to the campfire. All four of them were bloodied and bruised. Laurie was literally _crawling_ back towards their “home”. The other three ended up helping her up and heading to sit down. Claudette and Quentin went over and started to mend their friends. It was the first time that she had ever seen someone _crawl_ back to the campfire. Since she met her, she thought that Laurie was a fighter, but this just solidified it.

“It was Michael…” Laurie muttered once the blood was cleaned from her face.

“Yes…” Dwight muttered, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

“Why is he always after you?” Lailah asked softly.

“He killed my friends… Just… butchered them.” Laurie said, blinking her eyes. “On Halloween no less. He killed his sister, Judith when he was a kid. Ended up heading to an insane asylum. When I found out he was my brother… it just, he must’ve known somehow too. Because he just _had_ to kill me. It’s even worse here. The worst part is he gets to do it over and over.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s crazy… isn’t it? Someone that wanted you out there gets to repeatedly kill you in here?” Laurie chuckled.

_The Legion…_

“Yeah… Yeah, it is.”

While Lailah had survived against The Legion, she had no illusions. There would be a time when him or her—assuming all four of them were there—would end up sacrificing her. There was no way that she was going to be able to survive. The Killers grew just as the Survivors did. The Legion would be able to grow and blossom and hone their…craft… until she ended up not being able to survive against them. It would be even worse if all four of The Legion’s members were learning different styles. That would be like four separate killers that they’d have to learn to counter.

“Ya ready there, Kid?” David said from his log.

“…Yeah. More or less…”

Yui, David, Dwight, and herself stood up. If she said that she wasn’t scared—hell, terrified even—she’d be lying. The furthest that she’d been away from the campfire was the entrance of this realm. Lailah didn’t even remember how long she had run before she had broken through the clearing to the campfire.

The air was always chilled in the Entity’s realm. However, it was something different the further away you went from the campfire. This place… the pure _cold_ and the _hatred_ that could be felt in the air had a way that could push people to the brink of madness and then push them in. In this realm, the only hope that they would obtain is when they were in a Trial, ironically enough, as that was the place where one should have the least amount of hope. Purely put there, hoping to return to the campfire, just to do it all over again. A never-ending cycle—every bit of it an expression of The Entity’s unconscious need for fear, terror, and the tantalizing hope they all provided.

The forest was lonely. Sad even. Not one of the trees that surrounded them was in pristine condition. The bark was torn and scratched, as if by some animal. As far as they all knew, only humans—or what once were—had been in this realm. The thought of creatures of unimaginable origin or physique terrified her almost more than the Trials they were forced into. _Almost_. If they were animals of some kind here, were they still here? Some of these scratches on the flesh of the trees looked relatively fresh. Each step that the four took, piles and _piles_ of dead leaves crunched beneath them. The branches were dead, bare, and gnarled. Broken fingers reaching up towards the sky begging for a sun that would never rise. David and Dwight started picking up what looked like random items to her. Flowers, branches, and a bottle here or there. Had she not known the situation; she would’ve assumed they were cleaning the forest up for something to do other than being sacrificed.

“Oi, ya payin’ attention?” David asked, causing Yui and Lailah to turn to him. He was pointing towards a branch that Dwight had almost stepped on.

“I-I was paying attention.”

“Coulda fooled me. Ya almost broke somethin’ that coulda kept us from bein’ food for the fuckin’ spider.” David picked up a piece of wood that looked petrified… and deteriorating.

“S-Sorry…” Dwight hung his head.

“Did I ask ye to be sorry, Dwight?” David asked, his voice slightly raising, taking the branch and hitting him on the head, earning a small whimper. “Get yer head outta yer ass.”

“Hey, hey, c’mon David…” Lailah said. “Don’t be mean to him. We’re all in the same position.”

“Lailah’s right.” Yui said. “He’s carrying a lot as it is. Almost like a squirrel. He’s having a hard time seeing everything. Calm down.”

“Huh?” Dwight blinked, his glasses sliding down from his nose slightly. “David’s a-actually rather kind. He just tries to bring out the best in-in people.”

David sighed and looked up at the sky, grumbling.  
“I know the kid can do better, that’s why I’m so hard on ‘im. The kid’s smart. Ain’t gonna let that go ta waste. Gotta keep ‘im on his toes.”

Lailah and Yui looked at each other. They should’ve known better. As this place was devoid of time, it was only a matter of guessing how long they’d been there. Of course there would be some dynamic that they didn’t understand between the survivors. It’s said that assuming can make an “ass out of u and me”. Truly, that’s what they did. Dwight used his shoulder to push up his glasses back on his face.

“But… thank you for sticking up for me.” He smiled. It was awkward and kinda muted; like him.

“Aye. Dwight’s a good kid. Glad ta know the others are here ta be on his side.”

Lailah smiled. While they both had been rude to their new friends, they had been thankful at the same time. The other survivors were strange people. But it would be a lie if she said that she wasn’t entertained or thankful for their extreme differences in personalities around the campfire.

Going through the forest, every now and again, items were placed in hers and Yui’s arms. Listening to her friends, she learned that the bundles of flowers were those types of Offerings that would be rewarded for doing certain types of actions in Trials. From her understanding, those branches that David threw a fit over would be something that would make sure the hooks were further apart in the Trial. The bottles would create something they called a Dark Mist. Lailah wondered about the cloths. Apparently there were three different kinds. One that had four knots. It would end up bringing them all together inside the Trial. Usually they tended to use that as a last resort because it made them vulnerable. There was a strange cloth that ended up shrouding them from The Entity’s wrath and they were far, _far_ from the killer when they arrived at the Trial. One that had a singular knot at the top that would let them start with what Dwight called a Battle Buddy. They weren’t exactly rare to find here, but, they were used quite frequently.

“What’s over there?” Lailah asked, looking in the distance past a grove of broken trees into some Fog.

“Not sure. By the time we get here, we’re full, like we are now.” Dwight said.

“Once we drop this off, I’m going to come back. That seems rather conspicuous.”

“A’right. If ye can grab a few more, we’ll make it a little family trip.” David said earning a laugh from Lailah and Yui.

“Let’s head back.” Dwight said.

On the way back, the foreboding feeling that had gripped her on the way there was gone. Where did all of this come from? Yes, yes, the forest. But _where_? As for the flowers, they grew somewhat naturally. However, the other things like the cloth and bottles…? Surely The Entity didn’t just dot them across the forest. It gave them hope, and while it’s something that it craved; _thirsted_ for, this seemed too in their favor for its taste. Her brows furrowed and she glanced at Yui who was staring at the Offerings they had gathered.

“What do we know about Benedict Baker?” Yui asked.

“Only what we’ve gathered in those pages. Well that singular page. Everything else is guessing.” Dwight explained, using his shoulder to push his glasses up again.

“Why?”

“I have an idea.” Yui said. “But… I’m going to wait until we get back.”

_I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing that I am._

When they returned to the campfire, they placed everything that had been gathered in the corner. Each face looked welcoming and relieved at their return. While no one had ever not come back from the fog, that didn’t mean that someone could leave and never return. Curiosity had killed the cat, but she wanted would do everything to make sure that she wouldn’t become the cat. Staying at the campfire wouldn’t help them. Clearly there was knowledge to be gathered in this realm as proven by Benedict Baker’s journal page.

“You guys were gone for a long time.” Ace said. “Jake was getting worried.”

“Shut up, Idiot.”

“It’s true though. He was worried.” Steve said and snickered.

“Aw ye were worried about little ol’ us, huh? It’s so sweet how much ya care.” David snorted, wiping off his hands onto his pants.

“Now that we’re back, I have an idea.” Yui said, putting her hands on her hips.

“An idea?” Jane asked.

“More of a… theory.”

“So, a hypothesis.” Claudette asked, adjusting her glasses.

“It’s about the forest.” Yui said. “I think—”

Fog encircled Yui’s, Lailah’s, Ace’s, and Jake’s ankles. The Entity would grab them for a Trial while Yui was in the middle of explaining a hypothesis. If this ancient god was able to see what they were doing with every moment that they were at the campfire, then basing it off pure theory, it could stand to reason that they were onto something that The Entity didn’t want the others to know. Knowledge was power after all. If there was a way out of here, the ultimate mystery was how. Criminals didn’t want to get caught and would do anything to hide evidence of their deeds. The Entity pulling the group apart could be equated to the criminal covering up his trail. They were onto something. The Entity knew that they knew something. And it didn’t want them to.

The stabbing pain of the Fog’s cold as it transported them to a Trial didn’t bother her as much as it did previously. Of course, her mind was elsewhere. When the Fog cleared from her vision, they were somewhere that she had never seen before. Bamboo was strewn about. Shinto lanterns were lit, casting an eerie glow in the darkness of the night. The whole scenery was strangely ethereal. Perhaps the most extravagant and, truthfully, beautiful building was at the center. It was what looked like a Japanese Shinto shrine. A large Torii gate marked the entrance and from behind, another marked the exit. Surrounding the shrine were more of the lanterns and buddha statues… _smiling_. It felt like no matter where she looked, she met their gaze.

The faster that she got out of here, the faster that she’d be able to get back to the campfire and tell her friends. Renewed vigor pumped through her veins. With ideas came more thoughts, more thoughts came plans, plans turned into actions, actions could turn into movements that could free them. Lailah snuck past some of the buddha statues. When she turned to look behind her, the statues were staring at her with their smile… when she _knew_ they weren’t before. Fear tried to push past her vigor, but she pushed it down.

A loud roar slammed against the sound barrier, almost making her cover her ears. It was a sound that she had never heard before. Was this… a new killer? Surely not. Something akin to metal clanking together called her attention. Instantly, Lailah covered her mouth so she didn’t scream out. A man… no, a _monster_ stood a few feet from her. He was about seven feet tall. Where his face should be, there was a red Japanese demon mask. It’s fanged smile and horned head reflected his soul. The third eye in the forehead seemed to have its own vision as it felt like it was staring at her. White, sinewy hair flew through the air. Ugly, grey skin made her nose turn up. Rope wrapped around his upper body behind an emblem on his chest, brandishing what looked like either a lion or a demon. His pants, pauldron, and the katana sheathed on his back or the spiked mace reminded her of a samurai. A demonic samurai.

The samurai looked around, pulling out his katana. Lailah backed up further against the sides of the shrine. The coldness of the stone pricking against her exposed skin. He looked around and left, the loud footsteps slamming into the cold earth. Exhaling shakily, she looked around before climbing up the stairs. It gave her a great vantage and for a benefit, there was a generator up there. She crouched down next to it and from the corner of her eyes, she saw Ace nodding at her and taking the other side.

“Have you seen it?” Ace asked in a whisper.

“Unfortunately…” Lailah answered, pulling at the control panel. “Who is it?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“… There’s so much to learn at one time.” She exhaled a laugh.

“I feel bad for you and Yui. At least Jeff had some sort of knowledge before all this new shit started happening.” Ace tugged at some wires, bending down his head to peek at them. “So, what was Yui gonna say?”

“Is this really the time?” She chuckled.

“It’s a gamble, but I’m curious.”

“Shut up, Ace.” Lailah laughed slightly.

A loud scream came from the distance. Heartbeat slammed in her ears. Whimpering came closer. Loud, primal panting followed. Yui came into view as she ran up the stairs. Her brown eyes widened at the sight of her and Ace. The amount of sorrow and apology was evident in her gaze. Yui’s scream rang against the walls of the shrine. Lailah froze for a moment. A moment was all it took. The demonic samurai slashed her with the katana. Her clothing tore. Her flesh followed second. Her cries came involuntarily and the familiar hot tears blocked her vision. A wet suction sound was another that she didn’t recognize. Another loud roar left the demonic samurai. Daring a peek behind her, the samurai’s eyes glowed an ominous red. He had sheathed the katana and pulled out a mace. Spikes adorned every side; top and bottom as well. Injured and bloodied, she sprinted the best that she was able. Just as a generator popped in the distance, the mace crushed onto her body; sending her crumpling to the ground below. Lailah gurgled, her blood seeping from her lips. The samurai stepped on her lower back and pulled the mace that was embedded in her back and slammed it back in. The force knocked her cranium into the cold soil beneath and she heard a crack, but the pain didn’t increase. It was like her body had numbed itself. From above her, the unsheathing of the katana pierced her ears and the wet suction followed.

Lailah’s eyes were trying to roll in the back of her head. Her body wouldn’t respond, leaving her frozen in the spot coughing and choking on her own blood. She knew however, that no matter how battered she was, she would be able to get up. Outside of this realm, that samurai’s attacks would’ve broken her spine and killed her. The slow bleeding and choking would end up killing her out there, right now she was forced to lay in a pool of her blood; silently undergoing the feeling of asphyxiation without the end. Ace’s scream came from further away. Shortly after another generator popped. Footsteps came closer, Lailah forced herself to turn her head and jerk while the bones that were broken crack in an unnatural way.

“Oh shit…” Jake muttered. The usually cool-headed survivalist was clearly shaken. Quite possibly her position was the worst that they’d ever seen.

Jake knelt down next to her, exhaling shakily. Jake gripped onto her arm. His eyes told her sorry, before he jerked her arm backwards and jabbed into her elbow. The bone of her arm was thrust back into the torn skin. They weren’t necessarily melded together, as Lailah could tell that they were still broken. However, the Trial kept them together enough to give her movement. Jake straddled her slightly from behind and placed a hand in the middle of her back and jerked her shoulder back. Jake wrapped her arm around her neck and wrapped one around her waist. With a grunt, he lifted her up to her broken legs. They bent unnaturally and the more weight she put on it as Jake helped her, the more she was able to use them herself. But it was clear she was still injured. Yui screamed and Lailah knew she had been hooked. The instant Yui screamed, her wounds seemed to rip open again and blood hemorrhaged from them. Coated in her own blood, she collapsed into Jake who held her upwards. Exhausted, he helped run her over towards where a generator was and knelt her down by it as her wounds continued to hemorrhage. Her skin began to pale and her head lolled forward. Jake opened the control panel for her and helped lean her against something the best he was able.

“Stay here. I’ll be back.” Jake ran away, Lailah hearing a ‘what the fuck’ under his breath.

Slowly than she ever thought possible, her hands moved to pull onto the wires. Every now and again, her head would loll forward. Her eyelids fluttered. Ace screamed from a distance and Lailah whimpered. Two out of them had been hooked. This… none of them knew what to do. This was terrible. Completely different. There was no game plan for this killer. Who was this… _creature_? Lailah coughed and threw up a concerning amount of blood onto her clothes and hands. From the distance, Yui was running towards the generator she was on. Her body was hemorrhaging as well. A red box with a cross on it was carried in her right hand. It was the best sight she had ever seen.

All four pistons were firing by the time Yui arrived at her side.  
“Let me bandage you.”

“No… Do yourself.”

“I’m nowhere _near_ as bad as you.”

“Almost done…” Lailah said. “We have no time.”

“Lailah—” Yui said and grabbed onto her arm, jerking back when her arm bent and snapped. The generator popped, the lights bathing her in its fluorescent light, truly showing off the extensive amount of her wounds. Yui was starting to pale. “Please… your lips are turning blue…”

That same loud roar echoed into the taunting night. Loud footsteps thundered against the ground and Lailah could see him running in the distance towards them. She stood up, jerking unnaturally. Yui turned to look at the demonic samurai. She pushed her friend away as the demonic samurai slammed that mace against her again, crashing her to the ground again. The man picked her up and the red light in his eyes dimmed. She hung over his shoulder.

“Go!” Lailah screamed the best she was able. Yui hesitated for a moment before running as far away as she could.

Unable to struggle, she swayed back and forth. In no time at all, that demonic samurai slammed her onto the meat hook. Where she would have normally screamed, she choked on her blood. In the distance a generator popped. Her head hung, from the corner of her eyes she could see the tendrils of The Entity’s claws materializing around her. The auras of her friends revealed Ace and Yui were on a generator. It was the last one. She didn’t mind. Lailah wanted to scream to tell Jake to forget about her, but she couldn’t find her voice. Jake arrived at the hook and exhaled. He held onto her hips and lifted her off. The demonic samurai came back. Her friend stood in front, taking a slash to the chest for her. Instead of chasing him however, the samurai turned back towards her. She ran into a building that looked like a shack, slamming down a pallet. Behind her, the killer broke their only line of defense. Lailah scrambled; falling to the floor. She groaned and pushed herself up just in time… for him to slash her with his katana, making her fall to the ground with a wet _thud_.

Using her elbows, without having use of her hands, she turned herself over. The demonic samurai stood over her, dominance emanating off him. Taking his katana, he shoved it clear through her throat into the wood of the shack’s flooring. Taking a fist full of hair, he pulled her up, the blade slicing through her throat as bled profusely from her open mouth. Clawed fingers shoved into her mouth and gripped onto her tongue. In one swift motion, he violently tore the muscle from her skull, crushing it in his vice like grip and dropped whatever was left of the bleeding muscle to the ground. The samurai gripped onto the hilt of his katana and with his other hand, took that mace from his back and slammed it against her shoulder, decimating whatever was left of her shoulder. Unable to scream, Lailah choked when he tore the katana from her throat and dragged her closer with his foot. He slammed the mace down on her again, crushing her collarbone. With both arms, he lifted the damned weapon over his head and slammed it down, instantly killing her.

Lailah awoke at the campfire. Her head was swimming. She felt like puking. Her tongue felt swollen. The others looked at her with wide eyes when she looked up. Just as she pushed herself up to her knees, Yui woke up next to her. Lailah slammed onto her ass. Her head rolled forward and she coughed. She took a deep breath and exhaled, coughing again. Ace woke up next to them. Then as Yui pushed herself up and Ace pushed himself up to the elbow, Jake appeared in a cloud of the familiar fog, waking up next to them. The others thankfully waited until the three were able to sit up and gather themselves before speaking. Even still, the voice was soft almost like a louder tone would set them off.

“…What… What the hell happened in there?” Quentin asked.

“Hell… Hell just happened.” Jake muttered.

“Who was it?” Nea asked, leaning forward.

“… Someone new.” Ace said, coughing.

“What… did it look like?” Feng asked.

“Tall. Evil. Demonic. Samurai. Just… _bloodthirsty_.” Lailah whispered. Even to her, she sounded strange. Almost like her tongue had been injected with numbing agent and she was trying to talk.

“It carries a katana. A mace. It looks at you with a red mask; three eyes.” Yui continued. “It may have been human at one time… but that mask is truly reflecting what it is. An Oni. A demon.”

“It injures you… sucks up your blood. Then… it goes into this, this blood rage. We share pain. When one of us are hooked, any of us that are injured start to bleed… giving him more power.” Jake explained.

The crackling of the campfire was the only sound between the group. There had been many killers she had went against in her time in The Entity’s realm. That was horrible. She would rather go against The Pig again than go against The Oni—as it was decided; unspoken. Their information could only get the others so far. Going against him would be what really drove them and gave them counter strategies. However, she would never, _ever_ wish going against that _thing_ on anyone. Not even on her worst enemy. The only thing that was fouler than that was The Entity itself.

“Not meanin’ to cut this short, but what sort of information were you gonna tell us before you were taken?” Bill muttered. Usually he was more brash than that, but Lailah could tell that he was in a way trying to be supportive—take their minds off it more than likely.

“When we were in the forest, we were gathering Offerings. Some of these things made sense to be there; flowers and branches. The other things though; bottles, cloth, pouches of chalk, coins, and the like. Those aren’t normal to a forest.” Yui began. “I was thinking, I know I don’t know too much about this realm, but I was thinking… what if Benedict Baker left them for us?”

“Benedict Baker, huh?” Bill mused.

“I’ve thought of that.” Claudette said, adjusting her glasses. “But I have no evidence.”

“Why would he leave those for us? Why would he be able _to_ leave those for us?” Jane asked.

“All good questions.” Laurie nodded.

“But… is that even possible?” Dwight muttered.

“What d’ya mean?” David asked.

“That journal page we found… it was from the 1800’s. Could he really still be here?”

“Death isn’t an escape. You know that.” Detective Tapp said.

“The Entity feeds off hope. Could he have kept enough hope in his soul for over a century and keeping it fed?” Adam asked.

“Doubtful.” Ash said with a scoff.

“Nothing makes sense in this place.” Nancy said.

“I think it’s possible.” Lailah said. “Especially if he was able to understand something about the Fog.”

“A century is a long time. It’s possible.” Feng mumbled.

“I don’t wanna get y’all’s hopes up, but how would we even begin to investigate this?” Kate questioned, leaning back against the log.

“Explore further into the forest.” Lailah said simply, slowly starting to feel normal again. “That’s the only way that we can know for sure.”

“We don’t even know how long that forest goes on for.” Ash said.

“Sitting here sulking isn’t going to help anything.”

“So you’re willing to put yourself in unknown danger for a hunch?” Steve scoffed. “What happens if something finds you? Ever think of that?”

Lailah grunted and pressed herself up long enough so she could get somewhat comfortable.  
“I have in fact. And like Detective Tapp said… ‘death isn’t an escape’.”

“That’s just for the Trials though.” Steve argued.

“If I die, then I die. That sounds better than this.”

“Why are you getting so defensive?”

“Why are you trying to shut everything down?”

“Because I have common sense.”

“Oh, you sure about that?”

“What do you know, you just got here!”

“At least I’m trying.”

“You know what—”

“Alright kids! Stop! Stop!” Bill yelled making Lailah grab her head. “Stop arguing. It’s fucking annoying.”

“…” Steve and Lailah glared at each other.

“Truthfully though, your idea holds a lot of ground, Yui.” Adam stated. “I agree it is worth a shot.”

Lailah was unsure how long they had all sat there. Some staring at each other, others at the campfire. From behind her, she could feel Steve’s gaze baring into her back. While she was still not at 100%, if he wanted to have at it, she’d go at it. Their idea wasn’t the soundest one. They were taking a huge gamble at going out into the unknown just at the thought of finding clues. To shoot it down without even trying though, was stupid. They knew what happened with just sitting there. They were just pulled into a game of life and death. Over. And. Over. There was an end. Somewhere. It wasn’t at the campfire feeling sorry for themselves. If the others were losing hope, she’d have to give some of hers. Imbue the others with a renewed sense of light and hope. Arguing wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

After what felt like an eternity, Adam spoke.  
“I am willing to accompany you on your journey.”

“You are?” Yui asked.

“I must say, the academic side of myself is curious for what we might find.”

“I’ll join you as well.” Claudette nodded, pushing her glasses up on her face.

Yui. Claudette. Adam. Herself. Academic meets curiosity. It was a strange and yet balanced dream team. Each member from the previous Trial let out the corrupt blood before the exploration team set out. Going too far from their known positions wouldn’t be a good idea. Starting out small was key. They reached the boundary of what they knew. Claudette immediately looked terrified. However, at the same time, she looked resolute. Lailah wiped her hands on her pants and exhaled. It was her and Yui’s idea, but that didn’t make it any easier. The four of them made sure to stay close together as they ventured forth further into the Fog.

It surrounded them. Caressed them in an extremely uncomfortable and eerie way. Looking behind them, they were hardly able to see anything. Just a cloth that Adam had tied to a tree. They had decided on the way there that they were going to go in one direction. Just straight. It was a guaranteed way on how to get back to where they knew. Whatever Lailah had been thinking she would see, it wasn’t what she _did_ see. The area was rather… different in comparison. It wasn’t healthy or vibrant. Yet, the trees weren’t as tattered as the others were back closer to the campfire. They walked forward, gathering small offerings along the way. Some of them were unlike anything they’d ever seen before. There was a strange new coin that the older survivors had never seen. It was worrying just as it was intriguing. Lailah stopped and knelt down picking up something that was black and golden; tarnished but shining lightly in the moonlight.

“What is it?” Claudette asked.

“A… pen?”

“Do you think that--?” Adam began.

“BB.” Lailah muttered turning the pen over and seeing some tarnished letters.

“Holy shit.” Yui muttered. “We were right.”

“Indeed. Let us continue.” Adam suggested, holding out his hand for the pen, letting it sink into his pocket with the coins.

In the distance, was what looked like a makeshift house that a homeless person would make. Twigs held what looked like a cloth over a strange sleeping bag. How… was _that_ possible? They had just been sleeping right in front of the campfire. Was there actual things—luxuries—that they would be able to obtain to make themselves more “at home”? Yui went over towards it and started to go through what looked like a trunk at the edge of the sleeping bag. Adam was looking at the small area surrounding the makeshift shelter. Lailah was examining the sleeping bag itself. Claudette was looking through some books that were further away by another tree. Strange. This place looked like someone was truly just camping in the forest like they would out there in the real world.

“I found something.” Yui muttered, clanking some things in the trunk and pulled out another piece of paper that looked like it was ready to fall apart.

“What’s it say?”

“Death is not death. In this place, life is fleeting. To whomever might find this lore, I can but only provide you with one advice: always move forward. This is what keeps me alive, and have so for a while. If I were to advise further, I would suggest you harvest every forsaken location for anything that might thwart the horrors that lurk within. And keep an eye on the gates. If they open, you must flee. I hope my scribbles have not been in vain. If you find this lore, make use of it and pass it on. If you find me, bury my body. Benedict Baker’s Journal Nov. 1896.” Yui read aloud.

“Journal?” Adam asked.

“That’s what it says.”

“Look, there.” Lailah said and pointed to the side of the pages. It looked ripped. “That came out of something.”

“The journal, perhaps?” Adam asked.

“That would be the best guess.” Claudette agreed.

“If that’s true… then there’s more. Benedict Baker said ‘lore’. There _has_ to be more. A guide. He might be alive still. If he is, we need to find him.”

“It’s not like it’s going to be easy. He’s had over 100 years to explore this place.” Yui sighed.

“Yeah. He’s one person. There’s about 20 of us. Working together, we can cover more ground.” Claudette said.

“I believe Benedict Baker holds a large role in this realm.” Adam said.

“Agreed.” Yui nodded. “If we find Benedict Baker… maybe that’s our exit. Somehow.”

“Finding the journal pages is our only option for gathering the whole truth.” Lailah sighed. There was something shining in the trunk. She tilted her head and reached into the bottom. Something warm, yet cold at the same time brushed against her fingers. It was light. If she hadn’t have seen it, she would’ve not realized there was anything there just by touch. Pulling out the item, so held it open in her palm. It was pulsating with energy. It was like a strange particle of light with a black, webbed background. On the inside was another white particle of light. Cold to the touch. But underneath her fingertips, it pulsed. Around it was three tendrils. Almost like what The Entity’s claws looked like when it grabbed her on the hook and impaled her.

“What did you find?” Adam asked.

“I… have absolutely no idea.” Lailah admitted with a small laugh. The small particle vibrated in her hand. Almost like it was responding to her mood. “It… doesn’t really feel like anything other than light, warm, and cold.”

“That’s… the strangest thing I’ve ever seen here.” Claudette admitted, pushing up her glasses.

“There’s a whole pouch of them!” Yui exclaimed, putting a couple into a pouch. She opened it and showed everyone else in the group. “They don’t have a face… but they look strangely happy.”

Lailah didn’t say anything and put the one that was in her hand inside the pouch with the rest of the others. She looked around them at everything that they had found.  
“Let’s take this stuff back. The four of us should be able to carry it.”

Taking what was left of Benedict Baker’s campsite, they headed back the way they came. It was harder on the way back, leaving the Fog that had gripped them. It was like trying to run in water. Holding the items that they had were even harder. Difficult as it was, they persevered and returned to their friends with everything they had looted. Some looked triumphant. Others looked worried. Some looked confused. Lailah sighed and put the trunk down.

“What is all this?” Meg asked.

“We found where Benedict Baker’s campsite. Or what was left of it.” Claudette smiled.

“What?! Really?!” Dwight stood up.

“We found these items.” Adam said, showing the coins, the paper, and the strange pouch of vibrating particles.

“They remind me of cells.” Claudette said, holding one in her hands and letting it roll back and forth.

“What made you bring the sleeping bag back?” Steve asked.

“Last time I checked, you sleep in them.” Nancy said.

“If you think I’m getting in that, you’re insane.”

“Good thing I didn’t offer.” Lailah said and unzipped it, going off to the side and shaking it out. Leaves fell out as did another paper. Jane went over to it and picked it up.

“I have difficulty keeping my sanity. Each day, this altering world provides me with new trials. A man wearing the robes of a doctor crossed my path. From afar, I witness him walking around, searching… But he was not… normal. Eyes and mouth pried open, in a painful and disturbing way. Where do these fiends stem from? I do not trust him, he looks like he wants to bring pain, not healing? I will stay away, it is the wisest thing to do.”

“The doctor?” Feng Min sat up, interested.

“Benedict Baker has a strong possibility of being alive still if he has entries scattered about with killers we’ve went against. Newer ones at that.” Nea said.

“Fuckin’ crazy, can’t believe we got some breakthrough and all it took was two feisty young women to get it done.” Bill scoffed. “Fuckin’ unbelievable.”

“This is a great find.” Adam said, watching Claudette tilt the cell back and forth in her hands.

Lailah didn’t say it, but she knew that they were all thinking it. There was hope. They were _all_ feeling it. Fog enveloped Ash’s feet, Steve’s, David’s, and Jake’s. The appearance of another Trial made her frown. The others managed to toss some Offerings into the fire before disappearing in the fog. Sighing, she looked down at her hands. It hurt to watch her friends disappear knowing how much pain they were going to end up being in during their Trial. She placed the sleeping bag down unzipped. Jane, Nancy, and Claudette came to sit on it with her; still enthralled with whatever cell they had managed to find. Some may find it weird, Lailah found it endearing.

While it wasn’t much. An old sleeping bag that she only knew what had been through, gave her a feeling of home. It wasn’t much. Not at all, but it’s hopeful. Her heart dropped when Fog gripped onto hers, Jane’s, Nea’s, and Bill’s ankles. Two Trials at one time? The ones that were left behind were going to be even more worried than before. Lailah looked at her friends before she was pulled off for another Trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!


	10. Memories and Riddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know exactly what I’m talking about! The Legion! What the fuck do you know?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with chapter 10. A milestone! Yay! This chapter took me forever to write, but I really enjoyed. I hope you enjoy it too.

Once Lailah was able to see her surroundings, she internally sighed. It was the same forest that she had spent her first Trial in. It was just as dark and cold as she remembered. The rain was falling harder than she remembered, chilling her to the bone. In the center was something that she had yet to see, it was a beautiful building. Stone. Falling apart. Yet, even from the four stone pillars she was standing in the middle of, she could tell that it was a holy place. Perhaps a temple. As if calling her, she walked closer making sure to keep an ear out for the killer’s heartbeat and an eye out for someone whose heartbeat that she wouldn’t be able to hear. Inside the building, she was saw four dilapidated stone staircases leading to the center that reminded her of an altar. The center was covered with a gold inlaid grating with a grated door to the side that was just as golden, a generator sitting behind it. Looking around more might give her more light to what type of people were trapped inside of this place, perhaps she might even find more pages from Benedict Baker. If not, then the generator would help her back to her friends to talk more about a game plan. However, the heartbeat that appeared out of nowhere didn’t give her the opportunity.

Finding another decrepit stone staircase, she ran to wherever it took her hoping that the killer didn’t hear her footsteps that echoed through the stone building. Underneath the upper level of the temple was a small labyrinth of broken stone walls. Their original purpose was lost to her. Lailah knelt by the generator and pulled open the control panel. Positive side to all this, when she got out of here, she’d be able to probably pull of a PhD in engineering with no problem, especially if the topic was generators. Bill’s scream came from above her and Lailah winced. No matter how many times she would be in Trials, her friends hurting was just as painful as the first time. The killer’s heartbeat was drumming against her ears, making it hard to focus.

Panting came from above, footsteps slammed against the grating center; footsteps so loud and thunderous it would be a cardinal sin against whatever deity this temple was erected to. Pants came into view and she pulled from the generator, crossing wires and having the machine explode. A smiling face mask came soon after. Lailah’s eyes widened and she ran from the generator and into the labyrinth of the broken stone walls. Each time she turned through them, she slammed into another having to push herself from them. The panting drew closer as the bloodlust increased. A knife dug into her neck and scraped down towards her shoulder blade. Lailah whimpered more than screamed and sprinted upwards and out of the temple. If she could just lose The Legion, then… then she would be able to find a friend. Close behind, Lailah managed to turn a corner but wasn’t quick enough to drop the nearby pallet and ended up falling when the blade dug into her back again.

The Legion stood over her and laughed, still panting from the excursion. Lailah tried to push herself up to turn and look at him. But a foot slammed between her shoulder blades slamming her against the cold stone. Lailah grunted, feeling the foot on her back twist and turn sloshing whatever grime was at the bottom of his shoe into her wounds. Is _this_ what he meant when he said he couldn’t wait until next time? What the hell did he do to become this Obsession? _Why_?!

“Isn’t this something?” A voice spoke from behind her, almost hysterical with humor.

Lailah’s eyes widened. That voice! Through all her running and focus on getting out of this alive, she hadn’t noticed the distance between the male and this woman.

“I thought he was fucking with me…”

“He…?” Lailah asked, gritting her teeth when the foot pressed harder against her back. If the woman pressed further down, she was almost positive her bones would break again.

The woman merely huffed, seeing through her ploy to try and get more information from her. Two generators popped in the distance. With her foot still planted on her back, she leaned down closer.  
“Now I get to gouge those pretty eyes out. Slash that face up. Over. And. Over.”

_You’re so fucked up…_

“This may be Hell for you, but I think I’ve found Heaven.” The woman took her foot from Lailah’s back and picked her up, thrusting her onto her shoulder with no issue.

Footsteps ran up towards them just as the woman adjusted her into place. Lailah wasn’t going to go down without a fight. A loud sound crashed, and Lailah jolted, falling from her grasp; barely managing to catch herself. The woman screamed in rage. Bill had come up and slammed a pallet onto her so hard it set Lailah free. She laughed slightly and watched her break the pallet with two swift kicks and head after her friend. For the moment, her rage had rendered Lailah safe. For how long though… was yet to be determined. Bill was a war vet, but he was still old and already injured.

Another generator popped in the distance. Lailah ran back down to the basement in the temple where the generator was at and looked around. Blood was pooling around her on the stone, leading the woman right to her. Lailah went to the corner to where a chest was that she noticed while she was running. The lid was heavy and hurt her to open. Quickly, she tried to sift through what things were there. There had to be _something_ there that she could use. It was only a matter of time until she found Lailah again. She exhaled and at the bottom she found a dingy red box with a cross on it. It wasn’t much… but it would help. Using purely her sense of touch, she managed to bandage her back wound enough to where it wouldn’t bleed anymore.

Crouching back at the generator, she started to work on it again. There were times where it was nice to be right, but this wasn’t one of them. Dealing with The Legion’s leader was hard enough, now she had two here. Now there was reason—almost definitive—that they were _all_ here. The Leader had talked about her to them. Was it just to this woman? Or the other two as well? Either way, she was known and clearly on The Legion’s shit list. Was this really just because she “caught the eyes of The Legion”? There had to be something else that they were judging this on. As for the woman, it seemed jealousy. Back at home, she hadn’t had too much of an issue with her even when she was discovered. It was after the leader said what he did, did she have an issue. The other two… she didn’t know. If they were as ruthless as this woman and The Leader, she didn’t want to see them. But she had to be realistic. She knew that eventually; she would run into them. When she did, she needed to be ready. There had to be _something_ that she could find out about them before. Lailah stopped, a lightbulb dinging in her head. Of course, how come she didn’t see it before?

The generator popped and Lailah ran out of the temple. Making sure to be as discreet as possible, she headed in a random direction, trying to stay as far away from the heartbeat as possible. Coming from behind some rocks, she heard some coughing and loud grunts. Following the blood trail on the grass the best she was able before it was washed away, she found Bill hunckered down in a corner. His small laugh made her smile as well. Bill wasn’t one to say that he liked someone, but he went out of his way to help her and not just that, but he put himself in danger to ensure her momentary safety. Nea screamed in the distance, making Lailah cringe. She hadn’t even heard her scream from getting knocked to the ground. The woman must’ve snuck up to her and plucked her right off a gen. Bill started to move, but Lailah stopped him.

“Let me help first.”

“…”

“You won’t help anyone if you’re dead.” Lailah tried to reason. She popped open the med kit and heard the heartbeat coming louder and louder, drumming; thundering so loud whatever being was in higher power would’ve thought it was loud. She dropped the med kit for Bill and ran out of the hiding spot, not wanting to give her friend away.

The woman panted as she ran after Lailah. Just as she was hoping for. If everything went as she was hoping, then she would be able to run the woman around for a while. Bill would be able to bandage himself and Nea would be pulled off the hook. The woman’s obsession with her death could be used to her advantage to help her friends. Without a plan to drag the chase on longer, she ran as best as she could. Jumping from a high place in the temple, she scampered up when she fell. Lailah held onto her side, grunting. The blood that was kept at bay by her gauze was now seeping with blood. Was this something the woman did? There was no way her bandage could be bled through that quickly. Her flesh was slashed and she fell to the ground. Not wasting a second, she dug her nails into the dirt, pulling out grass and weeds as she tugged her way further from the woman. Her snail’s pace of a crawl wouldn’t get her away. However, if she was reading the woman right, then her bleeding out and crawling so desperately would be a show. The woman watched Lailah move further and further from where Bill had been. Her pace was slowing, but she was determined. She’d save her friends no matter the cost. From behind her, she heard the woman click her tongue.

“Damn…” She muttered and picked Lailah up. If she was going to sacrifice her, Lailah would make it as hard as possible. When there was no fight left, she’d still continue to fight. With the woman’s iron grasp on her, she was barely making the woman stagger and too soon, she was slammed onto the hook. And slashed. Again. Again. Again. Again. Sloppily butchered and bleeding, the woman nodded; clearly satisfied with her work before turning and leaving Lailah hanging.

Lailah gurgled and whimpered as she bled. The distinct difference between her blood dripping and the rain pouring made her hyper aware of how much blood she was losing and exactly how quickly. Tiredly, she lifted her head and watched the auras of her friends. Nea was bandaging herself, Bill was on a generator, and Jane was running towards her. Lailah watched Jane turn up her nose and grabbed onto her, letting Lailah take a deep breath before she pulled her off.

“What’s her issue with you? She practically butchered you.” Jane asked when they were far enough from the hook and there was no heartbeat.

“I’m starting to get an idea…” Lailah said softly, muffling her groans when Jane stitched her skin. Other places all she was able to do was wrap. Another generator popped just as Bill’s scream rang through the forest. Hanging limply on a hook in the distance, all Lailah could do was shake her head. “This woman wants me dead… I’ll try to run distraction. You need to get Bill and get out of here.”

It was as if the woman heard her thoughts as out of nowhere the heartbeat grew and grew. There was no telling how long she’d be able to run the psychotic woman around before she finally caught up to her. Each of them—Survivor and Killer—were evolving and learning with each Trial. Sometimes one would outsmart the other, but it was hardly true that they could outsmart them several ways with the same thing. Unless, it seemed, with her and The Legion. Lailah darted from her space and the woman let out a sound of… Happiness? Joy? Anticipation? Didn’t matter which one was true, they were all almost equally as disturbing. She ran her around the best she was able. Turning through every place she could think of, making a sharp turn whenever she was able. Lailah managed to swerve in a different direction, making her slam her knife against a stone pillar; sending her recoiling backwards with a loud scream of rage. It wouldn’t be good when she caught her. For there would be no mercy, but if it meant that her friends would get out… she would be alright with that. Truth be told, she needed to get back to the campfire as soon as possible. Dying was one of the ways to do it. Clearly not the _preferred_ method, but a method, nevertheless. Limit causalities where possible. Made sense.

All too soon, her legs started to throb and burn. No matter how many Trials she had been in, she wasn’t trained for this much running. Begging her body to not slow down did nothing for her depleting energy reserves. Just as the woman stabbed her, sending her to the ground, the loud blaring of the exit gates opening sounded. The ground cracked and the red light shone through each crevice. Her friends’ auras turned to look at her. The woman turned and left her on the ground and headed for a gate. Nea left to come back but ended up turning back around as she was met face to face with the woman. Each of her friends ended up leaving. All Lailah had to do was find the hatch. She could get out of this. She could win! That would show her! Lailah crawled, desperate for an escape. The amount of blood she was losing slowed her, but it never stopped her.

The strange _whirring_ of the hatch filled her with hope. In a short distance, she saw it. Silver and red. Open. Open! Black fog pouring out. A sound that she had grown to love. Pulling her dying body closer, she watched the woman returning knowing exactly where she was. Lailah bit her lip, crawling faster. Her fingers grabbed onto the lip of the mechanical savior when the woman slammed it shut. Lailah drew her hand back, missing the tips of her fingers up to her first knuckle. The ground was getting redder. The ground cracked. It was ready to end it. So was she.

The woman slashed at her, which Lailah managed to duck. She turned the best she was able, trying to ignore the woman’s angry cry. A blade came crashing down. Right into the flesh of her left forearm. She pressed against the woman, making her stagger and scream out again in anger. If there was a meter for her rage, it was over the maximum capacity and was spilling out the edges. She managed to get on her knees and tried to run, but the blade stabbed through the Achilles tendon. Strength that could only be attributed to anger and the power of The Entity was used to drag her closer by the knife. Instinct kicked in and Lailah dragged whatever grass and dirt she could, trying to crawl away, even now. She turned over and the woman slammed a hand down on her hip, keeping her in place. Darkness overtook her, but not from death. A pain unlike any that she had known before overtook her. The woman had taken the bloodied knife and slammed it into her eyes, turning the serrated blade. The unknown terrified her more than what she saw. Throwing her hands around hoping to push the woman off did nothing. The familiar blade dug into the top of her ribcage and dragged all the way down, a loud scream tearing from deep within her. All energy left her, and she was left bleeding out on the ground. It didn’t take long for her whimpers to die, leaving her dead alone and in darkness.

Lailah took a deep breath and sat up quickly, coughing. Opening her eyes resulted nothing but darkness. She started to scream and with shaking fingertips touched her face. Her eyes were open, but she was seeing nothing. The crackling of the campfire let her know she was back with her friends. Shuffling sounded from all around her and she screamed when hands grabbed her arms. Where was she going? Who was it? What was happening? Lailah started to cry and tugged against them, trying to plead through her cries.

“Lailah! Stop!” Detective Tapp said.

“It’s okay!” Laurie assured.

“No! Stop!” Lailah shouted, continuing to pull.

“What’s wrong?” Nancy asked.

“I can’t see!”

“Pull her over here.” Claudette said.

Lailah tugged against her friends. Yes, she knew they were going to try to help. But she couldn’t see. Already being surrounded by the unknown, not seeing anything was even worse. A sharp object was dug into her palm and she pulled against the pain. Hadn’t she had enough?! Tears flooded her eyes, but it didn’t stop her friends from holding her down and slicing into her palm.

“Stay still.” Adam said, holding onto her wrist. The warmth of the fire was too close. Were they trying to burn her?

Slowly, the world around her started to blend back together. First it was just light, then shapes, colors, blurriness subsided, and finally—after what felt like an eternity—she was finally able to see again. She looked around, trying to find anything that she was able to focus on. Her eyes burned and the feeling of nausea and dreariness subsided and her heart stopped thundering against her chest and her hysteria calmed. Concerned eyes looked all around her and she slowly started to come back to reality and calm down. The amount of black blood that was flowing from her hand that was at the campfire was worrisome. Slowly Adam let go of her shaking hand and she let the blood continue to flow.

“Ya back wit’ us there?” David asked.

“…Yeah. Sorry…” Lailah said through a shaking breath.

“What happened?” Ash asked. It was probably one of the first times he sounded worried for her.

“I was right.”

“About?”

“All four of them are here. I saw the woman that chased me in here. That’s who we went against. I haven’t seen the others, but I know… I know they’re there.” Lailah said.

“…Four killers in one, huh?” Steve sighed and leaned against the log.

“The woman did wanna gouge my eyes out.” Lailah said, a bitter film on her tongue. “And that’s what she did… before gutting me.”

“Jesus, that’s brutal.” Meg muttered.

They all sat in silence. It was something to think about. The Legion was not one—but _four—_ killers, and they had The Oni as well. Five killers in just a short amount of time. The only good thing about this was that all four of The Legion members couldn’t go around them at one time. Hopefully. Finally, the black blood reverted to red and stopped of its own accord. Lailah perked. That’s right! She stood up and staggered and looked around.

“Where’s Jeff?” Lailah asked.

“He went to the forest.” Laurie said.

“By himself?”

“No. Jake and Dwight went too.”

Lailah had no time to answer as the three came back into the view campfire. Without any greeting, she went over to Jeff and grabbed him by the jacket and shook him, making him drop everything that he was holding onto the ground.

“What the fuck do you know?!” Lailah screamed.

“What?” Jeff was clearly taken aback as were the rest of them. Lailah, since arriving, had been mostly tame in comparison to the others. She had tried to keep the peace, and now here she was, shaking down someone who was much taller and older than her. “What are you talking about?”

“You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about!” She pulled her arm from Nancy’s fragile grip. “The Legion! What the fuck do you know?!”

“The Legion? I don’t know anything!” Jeff assured, trying to pry her hands off of him without hurting her.

Lailah wasn’t having it. She pressed him against a tree and shook him again.  
“Don’t fuck with me!” She screamed. “I’ve seen the way you act when they’re mentioned!” David ended up pulling her off Jeff singlehandedly and pulling her back as Lailah lifted her legs to try and kick the man who was adjusting his jacket.

“Do you know something, Jeff?” Dwight asked.

“…” Jeff sighed. “It’s… not anything important.”

“I don’t give a damn what it is!” Lailah screamed, trying to kick him again. “Start talking! I’m being targeted by two out of four of this fucking group. One is obsessed with me and another just plucked my eyes from my fucking skull! Start talking!”

“Alright.” Jeff said, looking right at her as Lailah continued to struggle against David. “I’m was an awkward kid. Anxious. I—”

“I didn’t ask for your whole life story!” Lailah screamed.

“Right. Right.” Jeff put his hands up to try and calm her. “I ended up getting a job at a video store. I started to draw because I had a lot of free time. Not a lot of customers came in. I got pretty good at it. One of my regular customers came in. He noticed my sketches and wanted me to do some artwork for his gang. At the abandoned Ormond Resort. I was paid 50$ and a 12-pack for my work. A large mural depicting “The Legion” in runny, bloody letters. I eventually had to go to Ormond again because my dad died. I grabbed a 12-pack and headed back to the lodge. That’s all I remember.”

“…”

“That’s all I know about The Legion. I swear.” Jeff said.

David let Lailah go and she shook her clothes back into place. If what he said was true, then that would mean that her and The Legion were plucked from his past and he was plucked from their future. If timelines matched up with what she was thinking,

“Ormond isn’t a big place.” Lailah said. “You would’ve had to go to high school there.”

“I did.”

“You would’ve had to have met this person before the movie store.”

“I did once. In school. He left shortly after.” Jeff said. “Got expelled or dropped out. Don’t know.”

“…What did he look like?” Lailah asked, trying to remain calm.

“What does—”

“What. Did. He. Look. Like?”

“… Tall. Lean. Brown eyes. Dark. Square jaw. Black hair.”

“Anything else?” Lailah asked.

“… It’s been a long time.”

“You remembered this much.”

“A neck tattoo. It was a flaming skull, I think. He never lifted his head too much.” Jeff said.

“It was him…” Lailah whispered and looked down. So far everything was matching up. So far it seemed like Jeff was telling the truth. “You said he was a regular customer.”

“Yes.”

“What was his name?”

“His name…” Jeff mused, putting his hands on his hips. “It’s been years. I don’t know. I wasn’t really on a first name basis with him.”

“He rented from the store. You had to know his name. Don’t lie to me.”

“It’s been years, Lailah. I don’t remember.”

“…” Lailah sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

“I’ll try to remember though.” Jeff assured.

“Try hard.” Lailah said and turned from the man and looked down at the fire. “I need some alone time. I won’t go far.”

Lailah walked from the campfire and her friends into the known forest around them. She wasn’t sure where the hell she was going. All she needed was to sort through her thoughts. As if the whole situation wasn’t fucking difficult as it was, technically quantum physics was involved. They were proof that multiple universes existed parallel to each other. Her, Jeff, and The Legion’s leader all went to high school at the same time. They might’ve even passed each other on the street in Ormond and not known it. While the town wasn’t big, they did have tourists in wintertime. On top of that, Lailah was mostly preoccupied with the resort. She might have to tear Jeff a new one for putting that mural up there. It was a pain in the ass to try and get off. The fact that he kept this from her only worries her more. Trust was a key component in the Trials, and he had lost some of hers. Telling her the leader’s name would help her a lot with gaining trust back. It would give her an edge. Seeing someone like The Legion’s leader walking around town would have caught her attention. But… if she had somehow missed him, then knowing his name would be able to grasp a better picture of who it was. From Jeff’s story, it didn’t seem like he knew who the other three were. That made things even worse. He wouldn’t know the crazed woman trying to murder her… well, that _had_ murdered her.

Tall. Lean. Dark eyes. Black hair. Square jaw. Neck tattoo. If the circumstances weren’t what they were, it would be a recipe for a guy she might find attractive. Lailah grabbed onto one of the thin trees and snorted a laugh. She was starting to lose her mind. The random happenstances of the cosmic buffet that The Entity was seated at didn’t seem so random. With each story that she heard from her friends the more pieces of the puzzle that were handed to her. Not necessarily _fitting_ together, but at least she held them. All of their worlds were chaotic. Each timeline was. But… what about them made The Entity hunger. Were they caught in the wrong place at the wrong time? Jeff, The Legion, and her… all living in Ormond—or lived in Jeff’s case—that doesn’t seem like a random occurrence. But then again, stranger things had happened. Lailah couldn’t believe that she had practically attacked Jeff. But she _had_ to know. There was nothing that made sense here. That alone could cause someone to lose their mind. She shook her head and slid down one of the trees to sit on the crunchy leaves beneath her. Turning her eyes upward, she saw the moon. Brighter than it was previously. She supposed that was as close to the sun as they were going to get. Tears gathered in her eyes and she wiped them away before they could fall.

“Mom… Dad… Frank. I’d give anything to see you guys again.” Lailah whimpered.

Had she known that this was how her life was going to end up, she would’ve tried to find Frank when she had the chance. That way they could’ve spent some time together as young adults. Or… she could’ve found Frank and stayed away from the lodge. Told her parents to forget it. That they’d build one from scratch. That place wasn’t to be touched and it needed to be sectioned off and left alone. Rustling from behind her called her attention, making her stand up and look around. This place was devoid of life other than the Survivors and Killers. The trees weren’t even alive, and there were no animals around other than the crows that worked for The Entity, existing solely to sell them out. The Entity’s spies from the shadows. But this was where the survivors were at. The forest that they were allowed to roam around in. Surely, she hadn’t done something wrong. But… no… it couldn’t be the crows. They always sent out their caw before flying out into the night. It was silent.

“Hello?” Lailah called.

_I sound like the first to die in a horror movie. Now let me just add fuel to the fire and go investigate._

Breathing shaky, she headed towards where the leaves had crinkled. All sound was mute other than her own. It didn’t make sense. If someone was there, she would’ve had to have heard them leave or seem them. If they were standing still, she should be able to find them in this bright moonlight, but there was nothing. She looked around and took a step forward, quickly peeking around a nearby tree. Exhaling a sigh of relief, she decided to head back to the campfire, but stopped when she heard a small sound by her feet. Nestled by the trunk of the tree she had just looked behind was a couple pieces of paper and a small pouch. She picked up the items and looked inside the pouch—red and velvet. Her eyes widened; inside were more of those cells that they had discovered at Benedict Baker’s campsite. These ones were more active than the others. They were pulsating in the pouch; some were practically bouncing on the others. It was like they had their own consciousness, like small little creatures. Lailah rolled a few onto her hand and watched them glow a bright white light for a moment before disappearing, a small sound coming from the pouch.

“Wai—”

“What are you doing?” Lailah turned around so quick she almost dropped the items. Her eyes widened and she looked at the sight before her.

“Oh, I was just—"

“…I was sleeping.”

In front of her was… she didn’t even know. A small patch of the forest was… not the forest. It was the inside of the orphanage that she was raised in. It was the morning after she had found that she was abandoned by her parents. That night, she had cried herself to sleep.

“You know what I meant, Frank. Why are you out of bed? Did you sleep on the floor?” Mrs. Sanchez hadn’t been too happy with him sleeping on the floor. But, he had done it to keep her company and be somewhat close to her. Later, she had realized it too late. He was gone by then.

“Yeah.”

“You always sounded like such an ass.” Lailah whispered, watching her best friend shrug.

“Why?” Mrs. Sanchez sighed.

Frank adjusted inside the small blanket cocoon. He looked from Mrs. Sanchez back to her with a face that she now placed as pride and consoling. In his strange way, it was like he was making her feel better and protecting her from the scary situation.

“I like the floor.”

“Liar…” Lailah smiled, but it disappeared when the vision disappeared, returning the forest to the way it was before.

She looked around frantically. It was the first time she had seen him anywhere other than her memories in over a decade. Even though the vision was nothing more than a materialized version of her memory, it didn’t matter. She got to _see_ him. Just as she was about to leave, something flickered and another section of the forest turned to the door of the orphanage.

“No! Don’t take him!” Lailah watched her younger self tug at Frank’s hand to try and pull him into the orphanage as if that would make him stay. “ _Please_!”

Tears gathered in her eyes when she watched them be separated and Frank dragged his bag to the car and got in, hanging his head all the while her younger self was waving. Lailah had tore her grip from the Sanchez’s and ran to the road and had locked eye contact as the car got further and further away.

“Bye…” Her younger self cried.

“…” Lailah wiped tears that had fallen and touched her younger self’s head in an attempt to comfort the vision, but it only made it disappear.

Another pocket of the forest opened up and Lailah was walking with a younger version of her parents into her house, holding her bag as close to her body as she was able without melding it into her. They had been so welcoming and had waited for her to come into the house on her own accord. Her mother smiled at the young Lailah, which she had ended up returning awkwardly.

“We’re so glad to have you home, Lailah.” Her mother smiled. “Come. Your dad and I prepared your room for you.”

Lailah watched from the base of the stairs as she and her younger mother went up the stairs. Her father was peeking up the stairs with a hopeful look on his face. She looked at the young man and smiled. She missed them so much. They had all been so happy… How was he now? Was he tearing his hair out trying to find her? Was time frozen there?

“Wow! This is all mine?” Memory Lailah exclaimed from up the stairs, making her older self laugh from embarrassment.

The memory disappeared and she was left with the crushing reality of her situation, reminding her that her best friend and her parents were too far away for her to see them until she escaped from this prison. It was a truth she needed to realize, but one she didn’t want to face. Lailah looked inside of the pouch and noticed how much dimmer they had become. If they were creatures, it could be that they went to sleep. Lailah made sure those cells were contained in the pouch before looking at the pages that were left with the pouch. It was the same writing that she had seen on the other pages. This was from Benedict Baker. Had he just delivered them? Or had some other unknown being? There would be no way to know for sure. Reading these without her friends wasn’t going to be kind nor was it going to be helpful. All their minds needed to be connected to figure this out.

“I know one thing’s for sure. I could go for a video when I get home.”

“Is that going to be all for you ma’am?” A voice came from behind her.

A small bit of the forest was replaced with the interior of the video store in Ormond. Her parents had a large VHS collection, so it was rare that she needed to go to the store, but there she was. Lailah had placed one on the counter along with some candy and a popcorn bag. The young man behind the counter was sweet and considerate. At first, she was wondering if it was Jeff, but the man had bright green eyes and brown hair. After everything she had found out, it wouldn’t shock her.

“Oh, yes.” Lailah smiled and grabbed her wallet.

Someone was next in line and Lailah couldn’t help but watch the memory play out while she was now examining every angle. The young man in line was rather close and quite a bit taller than her. Lailah watched herself pull out her ID and watched as he was having a slight issue ringing up the movie. She didn’t say anything and watched the young man do his job, patiently. She rocked back and forth on her heels, assuring the man behind the counter that it was fine when he would apologize. Lailah circled the vision and stopped when the young man behind her spoke, finally looking up from his focus on the counter.

“While You Were Sleeping, huh?”

“W-What?” Lailah jumped and turned slightly.

“The movie.” The young man jutted his chin towards the counter.

Lailah didn’t have to see the neck tattoo to get the confirmation. The voice had been enough. It was clear, concise. The young man that was standing behind her, practically almost towering over her was him—The Legion’s leader. He was close, bordering on getting in her personal space, but he maintained just the correct amount.

“O-Oh. Yeah.” Lailah said. She watched herself look up at the guy. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her. When their eyes locked, The Legion’s leader smirked making her quickly look away. Even when Lailah had turned mostly towards the counter, he had kept his eyes on her and tilted his head to the right. “Have you s-seen it?”

“Hm? Nah. I’m not into romance movies.” The young man said. “I prefer to make my own romance.”

“O-Oh, that’s um… that’s good.”

“$6.52 ma’am.”

“Huh?” Lailah blinked and looked at the counter. “Right! Right! Um, I’m sorry. Hold on.”

A ten dollar bill was slid on the counter by her, making Lailah jump at the closeness. From her digging in her wallet and his movement; their faces were fairly close. It was embarrassing to watch, but she couldn’t take her eyes from the memory.

“There you go.” He said.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’ve got it.” Lailah assured.

“Consider it a gift.” The man said with a smirk.

“Oh… thank you then.”

The young man took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and shook it, placing one between his lips.

“Keep the change.” He said to the cashier and started to walk away.

“You can’t smoke in here, Sir.” The cashier asked.

“Aren’t you going to get a movie?” Lailah asked.

The Legion’s leader smirked and put his pack of cigarettes in his pocket and took out a lighter. He smiled and lit the edge and took a deep breath.

“I’ve had a screening of a movie here.” The man said and let the smoke bellow from his lips, completely ignoring the worker’s words. “And a pretty good one at that.”

The young man turned and left, disappearing into the evening sun. When the vision faded, Lailah shook her head. That was the most embarrassing thing she’d ever watched. The worst part was it happened. Getting secondhand embarrassment from a movie was nothing when you were watching a replay of your own life. Other than showing her she had met The Legion’s leader prior to all of this, it confirmed Jeff’s story. She sighed and headed back to the campfire, all these questions and worries in her head. The relief on everyone’s face when she arrived was evident.

“You’ve been gone a long time…” Jeff muttered.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.” Lailah nodded. “Something happened.”

“W-What do you mean?” Dwight asked, scooting on the log closer to David. Lailah wondered if that was intentional or if it was subconscious, either way… it didn’t look like David minded at all.

“I was sitting and I heard something. When I went to go see what it was. I found this.” Lailah showed the package to her friends. “I put some of these things on my hands to look at it, see if they were the same thing. And… they actually dissolved and lit up. Then I saw some visions—no, that isn’t right. I saw memories played in front of me like a video.” Lailah explained. “A couple from me at the orphanage. One of me going into my parent’s house the first time… And another… I met The Legion’s leader before coming here. In a video shop. He paid for my rental.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, Jeff.” Lailah said.

“Looks like ya got somethin’ else there. Ye mind sharin’ ev’rythin’ ‘fore we start throwin’ apologies around?” David asked.

“Right.” Lailah looked at the pages. “They match Benedict Baker’s handwriting.”

She took a seat on the sleeping bag and rested against the log. This was all so tiring. The more questions that were answered, the more that she got and the more confused she became. There was no sorting this out. No matter how much she tried. Honestly, the Trials weren’t even the most exhausting part. It was trying to get all of this figured out. What if she got their hopes up and they truly ended up being stuck here? How would she be able to face them for all eternity like that?

“Entry 49: My travels have revealed four hellish places, connected by one true evil. Each one features a past so violent and disturbing that it all ends up being a jumble of things I will never forget. In these places of such foul though, something lurks between the fabric of what we know as real and the dream world. Awoken by violence, it touches our world, calling the killers and victims to it. The more it pulls from the real world, the stronger it becomes and the more it spreads. I came seeking answers but I drown in riddles instead.”

“Us too man.” Ace said.

“I know not how long I will be able to carry on. I have all the time in the world. But only during the small pauses that I am granted. During the hunt my time is restraint. I learn more and more. But my hope and sanity depletes faster and faster. What am to become of me? Have the killers started out at this campfire too? I bid this journal adieu. I must focus on staying alive.”

“That page is older than the other one.” Tapp said. “We’re going to have to gather all these for a compendium and sort them if we keep finding pages.”

“What’s the next one say?” Quentin asked.

“Arcus 54: The atmosphere of the realms is dark and grim to say the least but also… everchanging. I’ve already remarked that the atmosphere is misty even foggy at times and that this fog feels alive. It seems to contain swirls and streams of memories or imprints of beings from multiple terra worlds. It is as if The Entity absorbs all the psychic energy and thoughts of beings it snatches as it journeys through the endless cosmos.

I’ve used the Auris to study the black fog and have come to three observations that will prove invaluable to finding a way home. First, the fog is rich in Auric particles leading me to believe this dimension is more conscious than it is material. Second, I should be able to manifest anything I am able to pull from rifts in the fog using techniques passed down from my family. Third… The Entity is far more ancient than we ever suspected back home and most of our theories and conjectures were wrong. The rich presence of Auric particles and cells suggest it is one of the Original Ones—an Ancient.”

“Auric particles and cells?” Claudette asked as she put one of the little balls of light that they found at Baker’s campsite. “… Do you think that’s what they are?”

“If we’re on the right track that would make sense.” Tapp assured.

“It’s a pretty big gamble to go after some pieces of paper written over a century ago.” Ace muttered.

“It’s really the only choice that we have.” Jane said.

“But who knows how long ago that this paper was written?” Steve asked.

“It’s white. It looks brand new.” Nancy said.

“Could’ve been well preserved.” Ash said.

“He’s not wrong.” Bill chimed in.

“Wait, Lailah, let me see that.” Detective Tapp said and she handed him the paper. He took it and rubbed it between his two fingers. His eyebrows furrowed and he held it up to the moonlight. A small smile on his face, he pulled the two pieces apart to reveal another one. It was just as white as the other one. Another new page. “At least I’m not getting rusty.”

“I have seen yet another pitiful soul dragged here from another terra world. The Entity pulled her here with no questions, almost as if were welcoming someone home. Perhaps that’s not quite right. The Ancient One had almost held her multiple times, and just managed to escape evil’s grasp. For some reason, I have seen—in the recesses of the fog—she ran into its open arms. With her finally here, and The Entity’s claws dug into her; sucking her of her hope, I can only hope that the others that are trapped here as well are able to guide her to success. I will continue to observe the movements of this realm, probe the fog, peeking; searching; reaching for answers I am determined to obtain. Not just for myself. No… it hasn’t been about myself in quite some time. For us all.”

“Do you think he’s talking about Lailah?” Yui asked.

“It makes sense.” Tapp said.

“What’s the Auris?” Steve asked.

“From what we’ve gathered, it sounds like the device that lets him see whatever is going on this realm. If this world is truly mostly conscious, then this person may have the upper hand and allying with him would be in our best interest. Finding him though, is the problem.” Tapp mused.

“You said these cells, from the auris, let you see memories?” Claudette asked.

“Yeah. Then they dimmed. I don’t know how to light them up.” Lailah admitted.

“Auric cells. We need to keep them close. They’re few and in between right now. We don’t have a way to materialize them.”

“This person that controls the Auris, how do you think that he’s able to be kept from The Entity?” Nancy asked.

“It sounded like his ancestors and relatives are able to do a lot concerning The Entity and this realm. It _might_ have something to do with his bloodline.” Tapp muttered. “That’s conjecture at this point.”

“This whole thing is.” Steve said.

“We’ve got to hold onto something. If we’re being watched by a benevolent being, that’s hidden from The Entity, then… we should do well to do our best and just keep exploring and testing our limits and boundaries.” Adam said. “Theoretically, if we do that, we will attain more answers.”

“…” Lailah looked at her hands. They were… being watched? What about the killers? Were they being watched by this man with the Auris? What about The Legion? Has he seen their memories as well? Does he see them? “All these questions and no answers…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! I'm going along with Archives as you are. So if things end up contradicting in the future, I did what I could considering all that we're given. XD
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it. See you next time!


	11. Confusing Finds and Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Be kind, rewind."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with chapter 11. Holy actual fuck. I feel like this might be a longer story than I intended. If you're all in it for that long, I'm excited for you to be on this journey with me.
> 
> I want to give a special shoutout to PaperJuice, That_one_smart_american, vinyldamn, GildedGhost, arkhams_misfit, gnarlybastard, FrostyBlueFox, rUn_bich_RUNNN, and the 22 guests that have left kudos on this work.
> 
> Another shoutout to vinyldamn and arkhams_misfit for bookmarking this as well. You guys are going above and beyond.
> 
> Your support means so much to me, in more ways that I can describe. I was apprehensive to upload this (as I usually am with OC fics), but I'm glad that I did now.
> 
> Well, without further ado bitches and bastards, here we go!

Sweat and dried blood had her hair stuck to her face. Blood seeped between her fingers from the large wound on her side. It was common knowledge to apply pressure to a wound; allowing the platelets to coagulate the blood. This metaphysical, conscious world was one devoid of everything taught by common knowledge. No matter how much pressure was placed onto this wound, the blood continued to flow. It probably didn’t help that she had been unable to stitch together the wound inflicted on her by The Huntress’ shiny new hatchet heads. In the heat of the moment and the desperation to not leave as little of a blood trail as possible, she had taken some gauze from the med kit that Jane had dropped upon her sacrifice and stuffed it into the wound and wrapped what she could. Chilled from the wind blowing around the groaning storehouse, she hid in a small alcove well disguised behind some boxes. Small whimpers escaped from her lips. Being quiet was her best friend. Her savior, but she was so tired. Hemorrhaging drained her of what little energy she had.

The familiar humming of the Huntress’ lullaby forced her with the reality that her death would come sooner rather than later if she didn’t keep her trap shut. Lailah kept her head relaxed against the cold stone wall behind her and a hand over her mouth. Keen on hearing from what she assumed was a life of hunting in the wilderness, The Huntress would be able to pick up on her hearing from a mile away. It wouldn’t shock her if the woman could already smell her sweat and blood; basking in her fear and panic. Heartbeat thundered in her ears. Peeking around the corner, she could see the red light that gave away the killer’s frontal facing position turning left and right. She was on her trail. Fear completely encapsulating her the closer The Huntress got to her small alcove. It was a one-way passage. While it did protect her, if she was found she was doomed. High risk, high reward.

From the corner of her eyes, she was able to see the killer’s clothes sway in the bitterly cold wind. Just as she was about to turn the corner and discover her, a generator popped in the distance. The loud blaring of the exit gates being powered made hope course through her. Shaking hands were no longer from worry and terror, but from hope and adrenaline. Whoever ended up getting that gen done had just saved her life. Only once the heartbeat disappeared and the humming faded into the distance did Lailah dare leave her small hidey hole. Making sure to stay to the edge, she ended up heading towards an exit gate. Quickly, she grabbed onto the level and pulled down holding it down. Hurried footsteps came from behind her. With a swift look behind her, her chilled blood started to warm again.

“’ey… ya alright?” David asked, breathless.

“I’ve been better…” Lailah admitted, keeping her eyes on the bulbs that were lighting up one by one. Why did it always take so long to open this stupid goddamned door? “Come on, come on, come on…”

One of her fellow survivors’ scream shattered through the sky, relatively close by. Meg had been so close too. The humming got louder and louder. The heartbeat following. The shaking from fear returned. The Huntress grunted and Lailah jumped when David’s yell resounded in her ear. Her eyes opened, not realizing that she had closed them. Planted on either side of her were hands. He was looking down at her. The exit gate’s third bulb lit up and with another loud blare before the metal door slid open. Quickly she headed through the exit gate. In the distance, she could see the campfire crackling, welcoming her back to her friends.

David screamed and Lailah stopped and turned around. Two hatchets were sticking out of his back as he lay face first on the ground. He had protected her. Taken a hatchet to the back for her.

“David!” Lailah screamed.

“Get out!”

“But—”

“Now!”

This whole time, she had been making sure that her friends were taken care of. In all of her Trials, she had done everything that she could to make sure that the others escaped. Damn her own survival. Leaving someone behind was inconceivable. But… if she tried to help David, she knew that without a doubt they would both die. Biting her lip, she turned and headed through the barrier preventing the Killer from intruding on their side of the Realm.

“Come on then, let’s ‘ave at it! I don’t give a shit pal.” David said from behind her, taunting The Huntress.

Lailah continued to run the straight pathway back to the campfire. David would be there before she was, but his scream continued to repeat in her mind despite heeding his demand. A thin barrier met her, separating the Trial from their refuge. Without second guessing it, she passed through it and felt like she was forcefully pushed back to the campfire.

“You’re back!” Jane exclaimed.

Lailah looked around, not meaning to ignore Jane. Leaning against a log on the sleeping bag was David. When they locked eye contact, he merely smiled. The nonchalant smile made her lip quiver and tears fall down her face. She wiped them off with the back of her hand, only for them to be replaced with more.

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t know what to do!” She managed to hiccup through her tears.

Lailah felt hands touch her shoulders and before she could react or look up, she was pulled into a hug. Without a moment’s hesitation, she gripped onto the back of his shirt and cried into his chest. It wasn’t necessarily that she had survived when David had been sacrificed. After all, he had beaten her back to the campfire and he was fine. It was more that he had taken a hatchet to the back to make sure that she was going to be able to get out. He was completely fine with him dying and already had the plan to ensure her safety when he came to her at the exit gate.

“S’alright. No need ta keep on cryin’ ‘bout it.” David muttered, clearly getting awkward with the situation.

“You-You took a hatchet to the back for me!”

“There’s no need to be mithered with it, Lailah.” David said and patted her head. Lailah let him go and wiped her eyes. “Now, you were cut up pretty bad there. ‘ow ‘bout ya get them taken care of.”

Lailah nodded and went over to where Claudette was and sat down by her. She lifted her shirt and heard Claudette wince. Being the team’s primarily healer, she’d seen some shit. For her to be phased by it, it must look pretty bad. Making sure to get comfortable, she watched Claudette work. Piece by piece, she pulled out bloodied gauze; completely soaked and still wet. She leaned down and slowly reached her fingers into the wound and pulled out more, tossing it to the side. Lailah looked down at the red pile and scrunched up her nose. Looking at it all compiled like that, it was hard to believe she had nonchalantly shoved that much into an open wound. Even more, she wondered just how large the wound was for there to be the ability to have that much stuffed in there.

“Geez…” Claudette muttered. “The Huntress really got you…”

“Mm.” Lailah winced when Claudette cleansed her wound with the styptic agent. Rustling in their master med kit, she knew what was coming next. She watched Claudette hold up a large needle to the fire and flicked at it. The first time she’d been jabbed with their antihemorrhagic syringe, she’d nearly jumped out of her skin. Never being fond of needles, the three-inch needle had terrified her. Now, it was a welcome sight. It hurt. Badly. The liquid inside was unknown and hot, but the bleeding stopped almost instantly each time. She sighed and leaned back when her friend started stitching the wound. The pain had numbed her enough to where she was hardly feeling it. A professional at the process by now, Claudette was done in no time before feeling could return. She dressed it with no issue and tossed the refuse into the fire where it crackled and burned; decimating the items to ashes almost instantly.

_The Campfire: What keeps this eternal fire burning? I seldom question it anymore as I yearn for its warmth. I get a few moments of peace every time I visit it. At the same time, I hate it, as I never want to see it again. I tried burning my hand in it one time, but felt nothing. But how come it is still warm?_

Lailah thought about Benedict Baker’s passage about their only beacon of light in this world each time she stared at it. In between the Trials, they had explored more of the forest. Small. Every now and again, they would find more passages. However, they weren’t anything substantial. Most of them were things they already knew—Killers were bad, gens and exit gates were good—but it was still nice to read them. Not having seen Benedict Baker around, but knowing he was still alive was calming. Having the idea that he was their ticket out was worrying and comforting. If somehow Baker ended up truly dying before they found a way to where he was, they were doomed as him, his Auris, journal pages, and Auric cells were the only things they had. Yes, it seemed like a lot; but all of it centered around him. If he was lost, they all were lost. When living from second to second in this realm, each bit counted.

“Well, Lailah managed to make it out.” Ash said.

“I wouldn’t’ve without David’s help.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Jane told her. “There have been many times where you could’ve survived but chose us over yourself.”

“Neither of us is more important than the other.” Laurie said. “We all have our self-preservation, but if we just worry about ourselves then we’ll all fail.”

“Making sure that the others survive is important, but it’s also important that you survive.” Jake instructed.

“We don’t know who’s going to be taken for Trials. It’s best to try and split up the injuries and fatigue that the best we’re able.” Quentin told her.

They were still learning. There was never a time where they would learn everything in this place. Even though they were still learning, they were willing to give their lives for her and make sure that she was prepared the best that she was able to be. Once they got out of here, it would be rather sad to be honest. Some of them she’d never see again. Ash. Steve. Nancy. Bill. They were all from places that defied the laws of what she knew to be true and false; impossible and possible. If they all made it out of here, she wanted to meet them in some place where they would actually be able to relax and have fun. How old would she be when she got back? Well, she supposed it depended on how time had progressed—or not—on their way back.

All the survivors basked in the silence for a bit. It was the moments like this that they all craved. Relaxing was very few and far off in between. Listening to the crackling of the fire, Lailah closed her eyes. Her head rolled forward and soon, the beauty of oblivion overtook her; truly relaxing for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

“Sometime soon, we must consider venturing further into the Fog.” Adam said. “While our ventures are proving fruitful thus far, our trails are becoming barren with each journey we take.”

“That sounds all well and good in theory, but what if we end up leaving the path that we’re on and find nothing at all. Or worse, we get lost?” Jeff asked.

Lailah opened her eyes, her head rolling backwards. While it hadn’t been the longest sleep ever, it had been restful. Whatever her friends were talking about, they were very serious about it. Trying to pull herself from her grogginess was easier said than done. The quiet-ish chatter around the fire tried to pull her into sleep again.

“It’s a chance we must be willing to take.”

“With the amount of evidence we’re finding, I feel it’s safe to assume we’re on a time limit.” Detective Tapp said.

“I don’t like the sound of that…” Steve muttered.

“You don’t know that for sure though.” Dwight said, his voice shaking. “R-Right.”

“Y’know what they say lad,” David said patting Dwight’s head and pulling what looked like a leaf from his hair. “hope for the best, but be preparin’ for the worst.”

“I’d say the worst is pretty much here.” Ace said.

“I have hope, I don’t want that to end up going away.” Jane whispered. “I’ve got some things to take care of back at home.”

“So do I…” Lailah mumbled. “I have to find my friend… see my parents.”

“It’s true that we don’t really appreciate what we have until it’s gone.” Meg said softly.

“We all have things we need to do when we get home. All the more reason to get working on it as quickly as possible.” Ace chimed in.

“I propose we split into two groups this time. That way we are able to find more in a shorter amount of time.” Adam instructed. “We cannot stop The Entity from taking us, so we must go on the offensive, try and find what we’re able before we’re pulled away.”

“Lailah, you stay here.” Yui said.

“No, I’m going to go.” Lailah objected. “We need everyone.”

It took a while for them to divvy everything up. By the end though, they agreed on three groups of five and one of six. For the first time, all Survivors would be gone from the campfire. Yui, Claudette, Bill, Feng, and herself headed the opposite side of the place where they had found the campsite. The further away they got, the harder it was to take steps. This part of the forest was barren, overrun with thorny vines. The trees almost looked like they were completely mauled. Some of them were snapped in half. Others were bare of bark. Long scrapes littered the trees.

“This is… Disconcerting.” Claudette muttered.

“Looks like a fuckin’ warzone.” Bill said. “I’d know.”

“… I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much destruction.” Feng commented.

“What’s that?” Yui gripped onto Lailah’s shoulder and pointed to the distance.

A shack. Rotting and decrepit sat in the distance. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Like those shacks that the teens would go in because their car broke down and end up hanging from…well… hooks. Or…chainsawed. Or both.

“Looks like a shack.” Bill said, blowing out some smoke.

Lailah couldn’t help but snort a laugh. Leave it to Bill to be able to bring some humor to this situation. It was terrible looking; so filled with cobwebs that she could see some hanging from what she assumed were eaves of the shack a long time ago. Did this also belong to Benedict Baker? Bill led the way, decreasing the distance between the horror palace and them. The trees surrounding it were burned like they had just survived a California forest fire. What little grass was surrounding the hut was also charred. She was surprised it didn’t explode into dust when their feet touched it. If she didn’t know any better, she would think that some sort of explosion had happened. But… what could possibly be around here to cause an explosion of the supposed magnitude? Stretching between trees were webs with spiders unlike anything she had seen back home. While she hated spiders, it was the first time that she had seen any other creature—other than humans—other than the crows.

Claudette looked fascinated at the spiders and adjusted her glasses, taking in every speck of the eight-legged freaks perched on their webs. While it was endearing that Claudette liked things like bugs, fungus, and rocks; she wished that her friend would remain more in focus right now. There was no telling what sort of things they’d run into. They needed to be alert and focused. Bill went to the door and pulled it open; clearly not worried about anything. He’d survived zombies and the Vietnam war. Now he was surviving these Trials. What the hell else did he have to worry about? The door creaked and bent; warped from how ever many years of moisture it’d been exposed to.

The inside was much like the outside. Glass was strewn around. Papers flooded the floor. Eaten through and illegible. Close to the wall was what looked like a makeshift bed. Surely, Benedict Baker didn’t roam in here of his own accord and travel with amenities. They’d read his journal—what they found of it—and he said he was trapped as well. Yes, he could’ve come here hoping for an in and out and found himself trapped. After all, according to the man with the Auris, his family knew what The Entity was. An Ancient One. Higher powers of varying kind had been up for debate for _years_. But never had she heard of Ancient Ones. That sounded like something from a fantasy novel or movie.

Perhaps the most concerning thing was in table that sat against the wall. All over it were beakers, distillers, tubes, and other varying glass instruments. All dusty with caked yellow-orange liquid on the inside; long since dried up. The 1800’s were popular for trying methods of new medicines, Benedict Baker might have been trying to find something to heal his wounds. Then again, there was what was said about his family. It may have been some sort of concoction to get him out of here. Without any proof or written truths, they wouldn’t know.

“Let’s look around.” Bill instructed.

Yui took to looking in the area surrounding the bed. Claudette headed to the science set where Lailah was and began examining each tool; scrutinizing it with a professional’s eyes. Feng Min had been fairly quiet the whole time and was now looking through stacks of books that were in a corner. They were all rather makeshift looking. Journals more than actual books. Some even had what looked like what had once been sketches in it. Bill flipped through some of them and tossed them away, clearly on the mission for something else.

“What do you think, Claudette?” Lailah asked.

“These are distillers. Some beakers. Stoppers. Vials. Pouches.” Claudette muttered, more to herself than anyone else. “This is an alchemy set.”

“Alchemy?” Lailah asked, looking at the set. “So… it’s possible that there was an explosion?”

“Highly likely, yes.” She picked up a beaker that had the dried up liquid in it. “This is most likely the origin point. Everything inside is dried, but not because of it being set there too long, too much heat at once caked it to the surrounding interior. Also, the blackened sides showed a exothermal reaction.”

“… English please?” Feng Min asked.

“This person mixed two wrong things and it got really hot and exploded.” Claudette said; clearly sheepish.

Lailah felt bad in a way. It had been the first time that she had really seen Claudette so excited over something. Science really brought her friend out of her shell. Yes, there were here to investigate, but she was always so withdrawn, it might be better to let her loosen up a little.

“So, any idea what it was?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Claudette pried open the cracked beaker’s stopper—that was still strangely intact—and took a few shallow sniffs.

“What are you doing?!” Lailah exclaimed.

“Testing.”

“That’s dangerous!” Feng interjected.

“This whole venture is.” Claudette said and peered inside. She turned back to the alchemy set and searched around, opening something that looked like a leather satchel and grabbed a tool with a curved end. She looked right at home. Being as careful as she could, Lailah watched Claudette scrape the sides—trying not to cringe from the sound of metal against glass—and put the dried up flakes on the rotting desk.

“Can ya tell what the fuck that mess was?” Bill asked, joining them at the set and blowing out some smoke from his ever-burning cigarette.

“Yes. It was… a flower. Red and yellow… This is primarily the petals.”

“A flower? Have you seen any flower like that?” Feng asked.

“Mm-mm.” Lailah shook her head and leaned over to look at the powder. Amazing. Claudette managed to get all that from some dust. “Good job, Claudette.”

“T-Thank you.” She smiled brightly.

“Oh!” Feng brightened.

“Careful, girl!” Bill said after jumping. “Hasn’t anyone ever told ya not to scare a war vet?”

“Oh? I didn’t know you _could_ scare, Bill.” Feng retorted.

“… Shut up. What’d ya find?”

Feng held up what looked like a book. It was held together; contrary to Benedict Baker’s.  
“The Real Enemy.”

“… I don’t like the sound of that.” Yui muttered. “Don’t we already know our enemy?”

“We’ll find out.” Lailah said.

“Very little is known of The Entity’s biological workings and the exact purpose of the Auric Cell still eludes me. There are nevertheless strong correlations to be made between the Cell and The Entity’s faculty to shape the world that imprisons us. Are they the primordial building blocks to everything we see within The Fog? Can we harness their power?” Feng read.

“So… Benedict Baker was here too?” Yui asked, putting a hand on her pocket.

“Mm-mm. This is signed someone different.”

“Different?”

“Vigo.” Feng said and pointed to the name. Sure enough. It wasn’t the writing they were used to nor was it the same person’s name. Vigo and Benedict Baker were two different people. If they had an idea where Benedict Baker was… then what happened to Vigo? Had he tried to find more answers and ended up losing himself too?

“I don’t like this…” Yui admitted and sighed looking around.

Lailah peeked around, noticing some more items that she had previously overlooked. Over by the bedding was a plethora of cloths. White with a strange stripe surrounding the edge.

“I have no idea what they are. There’s a ton of them though.” Yui explained. “They were all kept together.”

“Oh, I found these too.” Feng said and moved some books. Behind a group was a singular line of jars. Inside though was what was the most disturbing. They were pickled lips. Human lips. A chill ran down her spine and she looked around, suddenly feeling more worried than normal. At first they had all just thought of him as an alchemist. Someone who was trapped here too, but… If he had _many_ jars of pickled human lips, what did that even mean? Did he kill them? Find them and harvest their lips from their bodies?

“… This guy needs to get out more.” Bill muttered, not even looking phased.

“Wait! Listen to this!” Feng exclaimed. “I found marvels through the years in the fog, but only now do I understand how to bend the fog’s irrefragable rules.”

“He understands how to bend the rules?” Claudette exclaimed. “Then… he knows how to get out.”

“ _Maybe._ Just because he understands something doesn’t mean he knows how to get out.” Bill said.

“There’s something in the back.” Feng said and pulled a section of paper that was stuck to another page. “One one rare occasion, I encountered an alternative way to escape. It suddenly dawned on me that I was the only remaining survivor.”

“The Hatch?” Lailah asked.

“Did he create it?” Yui asked.

“He did say he knew how to bend the rules.” Claudette threw out. “But Feng just read that he stumbled across it.”

“If he does have the ability to bend the fog, he may have been able to do it unconsciously.” Bill said.

“If we can get him and Benedict Baker in a room together, then that’d be great.” Lailah said.

“I wonder if those jars and cloths are burnable.” Bill muttered.

“I am _not_ carrying a jar of human lips around.” Feng shook her head and tucked the journal under her arm.

“Agreed. You wanna carry those, be my guest Bill.” Lailah said. “I’ll grab some of those cloths.”

The cloths were gathered with no questions asked. Between Claudette, Feng, Yui, and herself they had managed to carry them. Bill was in charge of carrying those lips. He brought four. With everything that she had seen and been through, pickled anatomy shouldn’t bother her. There was just something about the _amount_ in each of those jars that was unsettling. If it was burnable what would it do? There was no guarantee that they were going to help them. But… if they did, the man that could bend the fog would be on their side indirectly. Finding him became a high priority. Just as much as Benedict Baker. Lailah could only hope that he was still alive. Vigo… Just what kind of person was he? Is he? And what was with that flower? What had he been hoping to accomplish? What _had_ he accomplished?

Thinking about the ‘if’s’ and ‘whats’ did nothing to calm her already reeling mind. He had mentioned the Auric cells. They were the reason that she had seen those visions. They were the particles of this world. Between the two accounts, she could safely say that this world was nothing more than consciousness. Does that mean that their souls were here and they were just asleep? That would be a hell of a good and bad thing. At least she would be with her family. But… she had a feeling that her whole persona was here. If they thought about going home hard enough, would they be able to metastasize something to get them home? She sighed and followed close behind her friends. Just like finding more of Baker’s journal pages; the more answers that they got, the more questions that came right after it. They’d take one step forward and three steps backwards.

Returning to the campfire was a blessed thing. The other groups were already back. Relief crashed over them like a wave when they all returned. Some of them went from relief to worried; then disturbed.

“What the hell is that?” Steve asked, pointing to the jars Bill was carrying.

“Pickled human lips.” Yui said matter-of-factly.

Steve laughed.  
“No. Seriously, what is it?”

“…” Their whole group was silent which only added to the disgust of some survivors.

“And you brought that back why?!” Nancy exclaimed.

“It was Bill’s idea!” Feng retorted.

“Bill! What the hell?”

“Alright alright!” Bill yelled. “Shut up!”

“…”

“I had a feelin’. When you’ve been alive as long as I have and dealt with all the fuckery I have, you get these feelin’s alright?! The fire will do something with it.”

“Like what?” Jane asked, her nose scrunched up.

“No clue.”

“Reassuring…” Nea muttered. “What about those?”

“Cloths. No clue what they do, but they were protected.”

“I take it you all found quite a lot.” Adam said. “We were also fruitful.”

“Not as much as you, but, it’s a start.” Tapp said.

“We found a hut. Claudette ended up finding some fried flower in an alchemy set. Feng found a journal—”

“And the lips.” Bill interjected.

“…and the lips.” Lailah cleared her throat, seeing Feng scoot away from it from the corner of her eyes. “Yui found these cloths.”

“What did you find?” Ash asked.

“Nothing to be honest. They did all the work.” Lailah said. “But listen to this.”

Feng reiterated everything to their friends that they had discovered in the shack. Vigo. His potential creation of the hatch. His ability to bend the fog to his will. The reasoning they believed that the cloths and the lips would be helpful to them in some way. Some of the survivors looked doubtful, others; worried, and the others looked hopeful.

“You said that you found some things too, yeah?” Lailah asked.

“Indeed.” Adam said and went over to the trunk where their cumulative belongings were and pulled out Benedict Baker’s journal. It looked fatter than it was before. That was a good sign. “It wasn’t much, but we ended up finding some pages.”

“They were balled up.” Nancy said.

“This hatch I found baffles me. As I witnessed the last Survivor being, yet again, the victim of the dreaded hook I stumbled upon it as I slowly backed away. I finally found my keyhole. With my last strength I opened it, entered its tunnels and somehow found my way to the campfire. Now I sit here contemplating its purpose. Is hope more important for the Entity than I thought? Is this hatch just a treat you give a dog to as encouragement? For now I take what I can get.” Nea read and sighed.

“So… the hatch wasn’t created by Benedict Baker.” Claudette muttered. “So… that leaves Vigo.”

“This one is newer.” Nea said. “Arcus 731: Hard to tell when one day ends and another begins. The tower and the library help me cope, but it’s hard to forget the truth of my situation even for a moment knowing everything I have is a lie. I have access to anything I want and yet I have nothing. The survivors continue to undergo the trails with the most brutal of killers. I continue to search the fog for the memories of those who found a way to escape. It sometimes feels like a futile search. But then again… I’ve got time on my hands… lots of time…”

“Memory 1746: He moves through the death and decay of the void. He doesn’t remember his name. Everything’s a blur. He feels pain in his stomach. In his arms. In his veins. He needs… he needs to find one those… flowers… the nectar… the sweet serum that gives… strength. Strength for what? He remembers… the killers… experimenting on them. Why? Why was he experimenting on them? He doesn’t… remember. He caused a lot of suffering, but he doesn’t feel remorse. He doesn’t even know if he should feel remorse. He doesn’t feel anything but an ache in the pit of his stomach for power.”

“A flower…?” Claudette asked, her eyes widening.

“There’s… one more.” Nea said softly. “Memory 1750: He’s lost. He doesn’t know where he is. He sees things like tentacles reaching out for him from the fog and he knows they’re not real. None of it is. He’s losing his mind if he hasn’t lost it already. His eyes play tricks on him. He sees giant, nameless creatures looming over him. Doesn’t matter. They’re not real. None of it is. His hunger confuses him. Oppresses him. He’d do anything for that feeling again. Anything. Even… return to the trials. He would. He’d rip survivors and killers apart limb from limb for that feeling again. He begins to mumble words. A promise… one flower… one flower… and I will do anything.”

Silence fell over them for a minute, each of them absorbing all the new information that was gathered.  
“Vigo managed to escape the trials.” Lailah said.

“But… what’s ‘the void’?” Yui asked.

“I’ve never heard of it.” Jake said. “But the most important thing I’m getting from all this is… Vigo is dangerous.”

“Dangerous or not, we have to find ‘im. If he can help us move the fog, we might be able to find Benedict Baker.” Bill said.

“…Groovy.” Ash sighed.

Lailah couldn’t help but snort. ‘Groovy’? Wow. Of course, she was technically older than some of the people here as well. It was just weird to think of it that way when she was right now the same age in this distorted space. But… Bill did have a point. At it stood, Vigo was dangerous. Not caring which side, he’d kill everyone for this flower. They often say answers come with madness. Had he found answers in this flower’s serum? Was the price madness? Endless search for something he’d never be able to obtain again. Or did he just find something that could get him high in a realm that wasn’t his own. She sighed. Just as they thought that they had an idea of a game plan, this place threw a curve ball their way.

“Of course…” Nea mumbled. Lailah looked over and saw that fog was encircling Nea’s legs. Looking down, some was around hers too.

“Toss me that cloth, Yui.” Lailah said and put it in the fire once Yui passed one to her.

Nea, Dwight, Tapp, and Lailah only had enough time to look at everyone before they were pulled from their campfire. She hadn’t even had time to even remotely heal from the other Trial. What did the Entity want with her? Yes, it wanted all of them. But… Lailah couldn’t help but feel like it had it out for her personally. That could just be paranoia popping up, trying to envelop her. But… part of her just knew. Even though their lead for Vigo didn’t turn out how they were hoping, she couldn’t help but hope that before his descent into madness, he had been able to concoct something that would help them.

When the fog lifted, they were on a farm. A barn was in the distance. Corn fields wrapped all around the farm. In the center was a tree with pig carcasses hanging off it. Even from where she had started, she was able to hear the flies buzzing around and see the maggots wiggling in and out of the holes; eating away and what remains of the flesh. Her nose turned up at the thought and instantly she headed towards some place to hide behind some hay barrels inside of the barn. There was a generator, but everything was extremely quiet. She looked around hoping to find someone; a fellow survivor, a peek at the killer, something. But she was alone. As quiet as possible, she opened the control panel and started pulling at the wires.

Screaming from far off made her hyper aware of her situation. She couldn’t zone out doing this generator. She had to remain more alert than ever. Usually, she was close to the killer when she entered a Trial. Right now though… everything was happening on the opposite side of the farm. She heard one of her friends scream and she knew they had been hooked. The generator’s pistons were firing and within a couple more seconds, it had popped. From far away, but closer than the other scream, another of her friends yelled in pain. The heartbeat quickened and she tried to find somewhere to hide. Anywhere away from where she was. Running would leave a trail and she was already off to a good start. A loud groan of pain erupted close to where she was and Lailah’s eyes widened. It was him. Peeking from around the hay barrels, she saw The Legion’s leader’s standing there. What was he doing? His neck snapped to look at her. Lailah screamed and ran as fast as she could. The Legion was close behind. It felt like no matter how fast she ran, he was always faster. Prolonging a chase was never in their best interest. The killer’s bloodlust would rise and they’d tap into their adrenaline banks, speeding up and usually ultimately hitting them. Lailah headed for a pallet. She pulled the pallet and heard his loud groan of pain, but it was drowned out by her own scream of pain.

Lailah looked back at him and held onto her ribs. Continuing to run, she kept heading in a random direction. Somewhere. _Anywhere_! Why?! Why was it him again?! She was so tired of seeing him. And that crazy woman. Just The Legion as a whole! Lailah tucked herself in a corner by the pig tree and looked down at her hand; just _covered_ in blood. Her heart thundered in her ears, but it wasn’t anywhere close to the beating of The Legion’s heart, excited at hunting her. Another generator popped in the distance. Another one.

_Only two left._

A fellow Survivor, it sounded like Dwight screaming from somewhere close by. Loud panting followed him. Dwight ran past her making Lailah hunker down further into her corner. If he saw her, she was done for. Leaving Dwight helpless wasn’t the ideal situation, but she was already injured from the previous trial… she needed to take care or she’d be a sitting duck. The Legion passed by her, clear on chasing Dwight. But then he stopped with a loud groan of pain. His hands clenched together and he was looking down at them; his shoulders heaving from either extreme pain or running out of breath from all the chases.

Before thinking, she ran towards him and with all her might tackled him. A loud grunt was heard shortly before they both fell to the ground with a thud. Lailah felt her stitches rip, but she had taken him by surprise. He was growling and groaning with rage, trying to take hold of the situation. The element of surprise was what helped her come out on top.

Lailah was shocked at what she was seeing. Bloodied and scratched, she hovered over him; his knife’s tip pressed against his throat. What would happen if a killer was killed here? Would they return to their side of this realm? Would they die for good? Would murderer become the killer?

Normally, the one on the receiving end of a weapon would beg and plead for their life. That was what she wanted. Even if she perished afterwards, getting some sort of reaction out of him would make her happy. It would be a win. Finally, _she_ would be the one to give _him_ fear.

Small bouts of laughter puffed out his nose, shaking his shoulders until he was chuckling; the blade of the knife poking his throat with each laugh. The tustle had knocked his mask off kilter, so she could see his lips and jawline better. The perfect view to see his amusement.

“What are you going to do?” He asked, his deep voice taunting her.

“I’ll slit your throat, let’s see who’s the killer now.” Lailah threatened, gripping the knife tighter.

“…You’re shaking.”

“…” Lailah tried to force her hand to press down. To sink that tip into his throat and inflict pain onto the one that had caused them so much pain. But… no matter how much she tried; the knife wouldn’t move. Even when he grabbed the back of her head with one hand and between her should blades with the other she couldn’t thrust the knife down. He pulled her down closer. Panic. Fear. Confusion. Lailah screamed when the world turned completely upside down.

The roles were reversed. His legs were on each side of her hips. The Legion wrapped a hand around her throat. Instantly, she grabbed onto her wrist. She’d go down with nothing else but a fight. The strangest thing happened though, he applied no pressure to her neck and ran it up to her pulse point. Beneath her hand she knew her pulse was racing; like a gun ready to shoot. Tightening the grip on his wrist, she tried to push him away, but it did nothing. His head tilted to the side and a smirk rose on his lips.

Another generator popped in the distance. Lailah nor The Legion paid it any mind. She was waiting for a chance to get out of there, a chance for him to strike so she could react. But… no such strike came. He ran his battered and bloodied fingers along her pulse point and to her jawline. All the while, he twirled his knife in his hand making sure Lailah understood very well the position that she was in. Heart palpating even faster, she knew that he could feel it. He reveled in it. His smirk grew even wider, pressing slightly against her neck as if desperate to feel the pulse even harder.

The exit gates blared in the distance and The Legion let out a huff and a small laugh. Only once the ground cracked and the Trial began to collapse did he unmount her. Lailah peered upwards as he got up to see two of her friends at the gate confused and debating on whether or not to come after her. Looking around, she saw Nea coming closer. Whatever trance he was in was disrupted when he saw Nea having mistaken that she was bleeding out. Her friend ran The Legion away and Lailah scrambled up and ran towards where her friends were at. Hopefully Nea would meet her there. She ran to come between The Legion and Nea hoping to get them both out of there. He hunched over and slammed the blade into Nea making her sprint further towards the gate. The Legion wiped both sides of the blade on his sleeve. Lailah’s pulse was making her queasy it was so loud. When he stabbed her, she slid over a pallet and ran to the exit gate, not missing The Legion sliding over the pallet as well.

All four survivors stood at the exit gate. He stopped and groaned in pain, shaking his head. The Legion pulled up his mask enough to where she could see the bare minimum of his face. It was enough to know that he was smirking at her. His chest was heaving and he was staring directly at her. Lailah watched him bring the knife to his face. Her eyes widened when his pink tongue glided along the blade, turning the muscle a deep red. Nea and Dwight tugged at her, pulling her towards their exit. The last thing she saw from that Trial was the now clean knife at his side and that smirk still on her face. Piercing brown eyes stabbing into her soul.

“What the fuck was that?” Nea asked out of breath.

“…”

“Huh?!”

“I don’t know!” Lailah screamed.

“What happened?” Laurie asked, sitting up.

“It was The Legion again…” Dwight whispered. “I-I don’t know what happened, but—”

“…”

“He stabbed her and licked the blood off the knife.” Tapp said calm as a cucumber. Being a detective, he’d probably seen some fucked shit. But her…? No. She wasn’t used to seeing that sort of shit.

Pacing back and forth, Lailah kept going over the Trial in her head. She had every opportunity to kill him. She could’ve driven that knife through his throat, just like The Oni had her. He would’ve been at her mercy, she would’ve had revenge. Even if he reappeared at his “home base” or whatever, he would have that memory. That _she_ had fucked him up. But… her hands wouldn’t move. It wasn’t something supernatural. The Entity didn’t stay her hand. Lailah. Lailah had stayed her own hand. Because of that face. The face she knew that was behind the mask. The amusement on his face. There was something there… she didn’t know…

At the end when he just _stared_ at her. It felt weird… there was something about those brown eyes that held her. It worried her. He didn’t seem shocked that she stood in disgust and confusion at the way he treated her. He could’ve killed her just then too, but all he did was feel the pulse beating in her neck. What was he after? Was there making any sense of him? Her heart hadn’t slowed down. In fact, the more she thought about it, the worse it got. She was… angry. Angry at herself for not being able to finish the job. Angry at him for doing whatever he did to make it happen that way.

“Shit…” Ash said, exasperated and leaned back.

“What the hell did you do to piss him off?” Jeff added.

“I wish I knew, so I could make sure to never do it again.”

“The kid was always a strange one.” Jeff mumbled, “Troubled.”

“Heh… You don’t say.”

The survivors stopped talking. It sounded like something was vibrating in the trunk. Pulsating. Jeff ended up rummaging since he was the closest. It was the pouch of Auric cells that they had found at Benedict Baker’s campsite. The dim ones. When he opened it, even from where she was standing; the light was evident. It was bright enough that if she didn’t know better, it could be mistaken for a heavenly ray.

“What the hell?” Jeff muttered. One of the Auric cells let out a shrill sound. “Ouch!”

He dropped the pouch on the ground and shook his hand like he had just been burned. She went over to the pouch and hesitated for a moment before picking it up by the drawstring. But… nothing about it was anything to cause pain. It felt cool just as it had when that one fell into her hand. They were bouncing so fast that she had pulled the bag upwards, one ended up falling and landing on Jeff causing him to let out another sound of pain.

“S-Sorry. It kinda hopped out.”

“It’s f—”

A part of the campfire opened at the side to the inside of a video store. It was the same video store that she had met The Legion’s leader in while she was renting While You Were Sleeping. A young man that was clearly a teenage version of Jeff was behind the counter. Lailah’s brows furrowed. While everyone else was marveling at the possibility of this happening and trying to figure out how it was working, she was focused on the actual scene.

There he was. The Legion’s leader walked in just as cocky as he was any other time that she had seen him. Ignoring younger Jeff’s greeting, he headed towards an aisle without needing any sort of direction. Lailah walked over to where The Legion’s leader was standing, flipping through the VHS tapes. Every now and again he would stop and mumble his ABCs making sure that he was heading in the right direction and hadn’t mistakenly passed whatever he was looking for. She raised her brows watching him pick out two movies. Rather conflicting at that. He headed over to the counter and slapped them down. Ignoring Jeff’s greeting again, he fished in his wallet for what she assumed was some sort of payment method. She scoffed. He truly was just always that cocky.

“Can I see your ID, Sir?” The younger Jeff asked.

“Huh?” The Legion’s leader stopped dead.

“I need to see your ID.”

“Look, do you think a child is going to be renting Silence of the Lambs and Interview With A Vampire?”

“It’s just policy, Sir.”

“Your policy can kiss my ass.” He said.

“Look, either you show me the damn ID or you don’t get your movies.” Jeff had dropped the friendly retail owner persona.

The Legion’s leader clicked his tongue and slammed his ID down on the counter. She looked at it and her eyes widened. Jeff picked it up and looked at it. She scrambled behind the memory of young Jeff, practically barreling over Jane and David to see the identification again. But there was no need.

“Frank Morrison, huh?”

“Got a problem?” He asked, pausing.

“Nope.” Jeff said and typed in the birthday, completed the transaction, and handed him the movies. “Have them back in a week.”

“… Whatever.”

“Be kind, rewind.”

_No... It can't be. Frank…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. As always, let me know what you think! <3 Thanks for staying with me again guys and gals.


	12. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oi, yer goin’ the right way for gettin’ your ass kicked.”
> 
> “Desensitizing her to it is our best bet right now. Can’t have her fucking around and trying to peace talk the asshole.”
> 
> “Word through the grapevine is that Frank has an Obsession.”
> 
> “Bet it’s that fucking girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with another chapter. This was such a fun thing to write.

No. No. No…. This couldn’t be happening. No! It couldn’t be him. It had to be someone else! Someone with the same name… It just _had_ to be. The Frank that she knew wasn’t a killer. He was a sweet, awkward boy that had helped her cope with her feelings when she was put up for adoption. No… Lailah put her face in her hands and shook her head.

“No… This can’t be happening…” Lailah cried into her hands, her legs buckling from underneath her. Like paper when wet, she collapsed and folded into herself. Tears fell and she leaned forward. The crackling of the campfire was the only sound other than her crying. “All this time…”

For so many years, she had wondered what had happened to her friend. All these years, she had thought about the ‘what ifs’. What if they ran into each other again? How would he be? Would he recognize her? What kind of person would he be? Lailah would’ve bet her life that Frank had turned out to be someone that was a caring individual. Awkward about it, yes. However, she was almost positive that he was a good person. There _had_ been that fear though. Lailah had even told her parents that she was worried he wouldn’t be the same person. A few differences, she could deal with. But… he was _killing_ people. Killing _her_. He was in a gang. Vandalizing. Terrorizing. Who knows what else The Legion had done that they hadn’t found out back home?

“Lailah…?” David called. She didn’t answer. “Lailah?”

“No!” She screamed into her hands. “This isn’t right! It can’t be!”

How had she not noticed it before? They had the same general face shape. The eyes were that same dark brown color; different shades of brown with each turn that he made. Eyes that could pierce the soul. They were telling. She had been so confined as to thinking Frank would be an upstanding citizen that she hadn’t stopped to think that he might have turned to be… not. He might’ve grown up from the other side of the tracks. The people that had come to adopt him didn’t seem like that at all. What the hell had happened? There were so many questions that she wanted to ask Frank, but… clearly he wasn’t the same anymore.

Lailah wasn’t sure how long she cried. It was until she didn’t have anymore tears. And then some. What was she supposed to do now? The Legion—no, _F-Frank_ … what was she supposed to do when she saw him again? Stop and try to chit chat? Would that even work? Their positions couldn’t be further apart than what they were now; Survivor and Killer. Would he even remember her? Was this what The Entity was hoping to accomplish by sending her into Trial after Trial with The Legion?

“Lailah…” David called again. The leaves next to her crinkled and she felt a large hand on her shaking shoulder. “it’ll be a’right.”

“How?!” Lailah snapped, finally putting her head up. “My whole life, ever since we were separated, there was not a day that went by that I didn’t think of him! I wondered what he was doing… how he was feeling… I wanted to know what kind of person he had turned into—”

“Now you know.” Ash said.

“Shut up Ash!” Lailah screamed.

“Geez, just tryin’ to help.” Ash mumbled.

Lailah fell onto her butt and put her face in her hands. In addition to her not believing everything that was happening, part of her was embarrassed to look at her friends. She was friends with a killer. Well _had_ been friends with a killer. With everything that had happened between them now, there was no hope of returning to the friendship they had before. Besides, Frank had new friends. Frank. Right. The Legion’s leader. No matter how much she said it in her head, it didn’t feel real. It _couldn’t_ be. Denial was the first step towards grieving—if she recalled correctly. Her eyes stared blankly at the campfire.

“… This changes some things.” Nea said.

“What does it change?” Steve scoffed. “We get put in a trial against the fucker and we get out.”

“Hey!” Lailah exclaimed. “Don’t…. Don’t call him that.”

“Huh? You do realize that he’s _murdered_ us before, right? Surely you haven’t forgotten that.”

“I haven’t!” Lailah retorted. She held her head. “Just—”

“Then he’s a fucker. The bad guy. A murderer.”

“Stop calling him that!” Lailah yelled and stood up. She felt like she was five again. Throwing a tantrum when someone said something she didn’t like. But, she couldn’t automatically associate Frank with The Legion’s leader… yet. Even though she knew the truth.

“Y—”

“Stop!” Yui yelled. “Just… stop.”

“Oi, yer goin’ the right way for gettin’ your ass kicked.” David threatened, pointing at Steve.

“Desensitizing her to it is our best bet right now. Can’t have her fucking around and trying to peace talk the asshole.”

“’hat’s it, pal.” David muttered and stood up, popping his knuckles. “Ya had yerself a warnin’.”

“What are you gonna do?” Steve asked, standing up and smacking his chest in a ‘try it’ gesture. “Come on! Show me old man!”

“Oi, careful what ya wish for!”

Jake and Dwight were pushing David back while Bill had jerked Steve back by the collar and slammed him on the ground.

Lailah couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up and pushed past the group and went into the forest. She had to get away from them. It was suffocating. Steve’s words kept repeating themselves to her. Frank did deserve all those names that Steve was calling him, but… for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to let it slide. It felt like betraying her friend to just let them all call him various names. The sounds of fighting faded in the distance the further she got away from the campfire. A weight felt like it was lifted off her shoulders once she was away from her friends… and Steve. It was nice that some of them didn’t treat her different; like David. He had jumped up to protect her. It wasn’t like she _knew._ Had she known… what would she have done then? Now that she knew now, what was she going to do?

Walking in a random direction, she leaned against a tree and hung her head. Tears threatened to spill out again. She was crying so much at this… she felt so weak. Right now, they needed rocks at the campfire. Only with enough rocks and a strong foundation could a house and shelter be built. Right now, she was the weak link. When they got out of here… what about the killers? What about _Frank_? To hell with the rest of The Legion. He was the only important one. That was terrible… but… Frank wasn’t a killer. Something happened. This wasn’t who he was. The tears fell and Lailah wiped them away with the back of her hand.

No… keeping her own hopes up was what fucked her up in the first place. It was the reason that she was in this position; the reason that she was hit so hard. As much as she hated it, she’d have to face the facts that Frank might… be a killer. Truly. Lailah bit her lip and shook her head. No. Frank. He wouldn’t… Yes. Yes, he would. And he _has_. But… had he done so outside of The Entity’s realm? After all, she hadn’t killed anyone and she was here. But then again, she was on the survivor’s side. And he… Frank… was on the—

“Goddammit, Frank.” Lailah cussed and ran her fingers through her hair.

She couldn’t tell which was better—that she found out who he was here in this realm or who he was out there—what would she have done if she found out he was The Legion’s leader? Would she have told him who she was? Would he have cared? Would she have kept it a secret? There was no telling… Not with her. Lailah frowned. Honestly, she wished that she could go back to where she had no idea. Yet, she was stuck here. There was no running from this realization. Until she’d get out of here where she could truly confront it, she’d have to keep dealing with it over and over the least bit that she could here.

Lailah sighed and patted her cheeks. The chill of the air hitting her wet face and neck was starting to chill her whole body. The forest was always cold but being away from her friends and the campfire only made it colder. Having something of a game plan, she could return to the campfire and work on pushing it back far into her mind, only dealing with it when the moment was there. Once in a Trial with Frank, then… well, she didn’t know. Legion or not. Killer or not… for now, he was still Frank Morrison. Just as he had never let anyone say anything bad about her and had always been there for him when they were kids, she had to do the same thing now. All odds were stacked against him, but until she could somehow get the full story for him; he would have the benefit of the doubt. Stupid? Yes. Ridiculous? Yes. Needed? Yes.

_I need to thank David. He didn’t have to stick up for me like that._

“Wait… I already passed that.” Lailah mumbled, noticing a tree that had an X carved into it. She had no time to wonder if it was deliberate or not, because her blood started turning cold. “Oh no…”

_I’m lost._

The very thing that she had warned her friends against and they warned her against, was the very thing that she was in. How long had her friend been lost? Would she find her way back to the campfire? Would she wander around here and die? Was death an escape out here? Would she be able to be pulled into Trials here? Trying to find the campfire was now her top priority. Trying to wrap her head around her current position left her blank. Everything around here looked the same. She tried to take in every difference that she could. The snapping of bark in certain areas. Something that looked like a picture. Lailah even made little marks in the dirt where she had been. She had never found those areas again.

Fear coursed through her. She was no longer cold. Extremely sweaty in fact. Frowning, she looked around, surrounded by paths and yet unsure of which is the right one. Exhaling a shaky sigh and wiping away from sweat, she looked around. Taking another step, she froze. A long; deep growl emitted sending crows flying in murders by her. Lailah screamed and hugged herself, getting smacked with some wings. That was dangerously low for crows to fly. Continuously swallowing the lump in her throat did nothing to calm her worries. Another growl followed by a snarl called her gaze around. What was that? Lailah saw something between the trees; dark, tall, red eyes. Whatever it was… it wasn’t human; survivor nor killer. It was something completely different. She had little time to ponder its origins as it hunched over on all fours, ready to pounce. She screamed and ran.

It didn’t matter where. Or for how long. She _had_ to get out of there. It was a deeper fear than when she was chased by a killer. It was something that truly made her fear death. She was almost positive that she wouldn’t _truly_ die, but… there was just something about getting caught by that _thing_ that terrified her. Lailah screamed out when a branch smacked her in the face. This was all too familiar. It was almost like when that crazy woman chased her in here. Lailah continued to run, occasionally peeking behind her. She wasn’t able to see the form as it faded in and out; but it reminded her of a spectral werewolf in form—something she had read in a book. She looked behind her once more. The force of breaking through something caused her to stop.

The snarling and growling had disappeared. Perhaps the most disconcerting was _where_ she was. The Ormond Resort. Taking another look around, she was even more worried. There were no generators around. No exit gates. How had she gotten here? _Where_ was here? It had the appearance of the Ormond Resort, but… she could tell. She wasn’t home. This was still _its_ realm.

Footsteps against wood flooring she heard. It was a jumble. There was more than one person here. Could it be her friends? Had she somehow stumbled in a trial? But… where were the generators and exit gates? It wasn’t much of a trial if she didn’t have those. Either way, she walked towards the resort. Lailah bit her lip, worried about what was going to happen to her.

“This is fucking ridiculous.” A voice sounded from inside of the resort. It was one that she recognized. The crazed woman. From her vantage point, she could see inside the resort. Three teenagers were inside. One had short hair. Another had pink hair with a strange look on her face. There was a black male with some sort of black rings around the eyes. It reminded her of a panda or a raccoon.

_It’s them. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. How?!_

“What’s your issue lately?” The crazed woman that had ran her in here asked, folding her arms. She received no answer.

“Leave him alone.” The girl with the pink hair said.

“No! Ever since we fucking got here, he’s been acting weird when he comes back from some of those Trials.” The crazed woman said. All of them were silent for a moment before the crazed woman growled. “Dammit! Answer me!”

“Stop. Yelling.” Another voice threatened. Footsteps came from downstairs. Frank walked into view and her throat closed. He looked just as he did in that memory of hers and Jeff’s. Except now he had a hand gripping onto his head. The old friend in her wanted to go and make sure that he was okay. The survivor part of her knew to stay away and watch. Thankfully, the survivor won out. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Julie’s right though man. You are acting funky.” The black male with the panda face paint said.

_So the psycho chick’s name is Julie…_

“I’m acting normal.” Frank mumbled, rolling his eyes.

_…You still have the same tells, Frank._

“My ass.” Julie scoffed. Her voice got softer and she went to place a hand on his chest and an arm around his neck. Lailah blinked and felt the need to desperately look away. She felt… strange when she saw that. Her stomach slightly hurt.

“Not now, Jules…” Frank mumbled, pulling her off him.

“See?” The pink haired girl mumbled. “What’s on your mind?”

“Just this whole fucking ordeal.” Frank sighed and rubbed his hand down his face.

“Word through the grapevine is that Frank has an Obsession.” Panda mask guy said with a smirk.

“Shut up, Joey.” Frank spat.

_So… the man with the black rings around his eyes is Joey. He had a skull mask back home._

“An Obsession, huh?” The pink haired girl asked, her eyes widening.

Could the killers communicate with each other like the survivors could? It would make sense. How they could, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to know. But… curiosity wasn’t letting it rest. Who had told them about Obsessions? What grapevine was Joey talking about?

“Bet it’s that fucking girl.” Julie frowned.

“Not this again.” Frank sighed.

“What the hell do you expect? You tell her she’s ‘caught the eyes of The Legion’, when we all know that you meant _your_ eyes. You think I’m okay with that?!” Julie screamed.

 _Geez lady… you’re giving_ me _a headache._

“I don’t know, Jules…” Pink Hair said. “Sounded to me like he was just trying to scare her.”

“Scare tactics are what we do. Calm down.” Joey said.

_You were the one that brought up the Obsession you idiot._

“I didn’t choose shit if that’s what you’re hinting at.” Frank sneered.

“So you admit having one?” Pink Hair said.

“… Shut the fuck up Susie.”

 _So Pink Hair is Susie. Julie. Susie. Joey. Frank…_ The Legion.

“I don’t have to take this shit.” Frank sighed and left the resort. Lailah quickly hid away from his form, walking randomly in the snow. “This is stupid.”

How the hell was she supposed to get out of here? Technically, she supposed she could just go the way that she came in, but… she wasn’t sure it would work. If it didn’t, it’s not like she could just ask The Legion to help her get home safely. She’d have to run. And there was nowhere to run _to_. The thought occurred to her, what if she was stuck here now? With _them_ for good. Lailah regretted leaving the campfire. She had just been so stressed and overwhelmed that she needed to get out of there. But… now she was here. With people who _literally_ wanted to kill her. Julie had. Gutted her in fact. Julie _couldn’t_ know she was here. Death would be a mercy if she got ahold of Lailah.

_I have to get out of here._

Lailah sighed. Joey, Susie, and Julie were arguing in the resort about Julie’s temper and their predicament. Seemed like they didn’t want to be here either. Out of the three, it seemed Julie was the only one that was alright with being there. Probably because she hoped that each Trial that she was in had Lailah in it so she could gut her again. While they were arguing, and she didn’t hear Frank’s footsteps, she took it as an opportune time to get out.

Lailah turned around and screamed out. A hand had covered her mouth just in time. Frank; unmasked stared down at her. Her eyes were wide, and she watched Frank’s lips curl into a smirk. She hadn’t realized that she moved until her back slammed into a wall. The whole time, he had yet to take his eyes off her. And his hand on her mouth. His hand was slammed by her head. The smirk widened when she trembled in front of him. Would he kill her? Would The Entity even allow the survivors to be killed outside of a Trial? He licked his lips and leaned down until they were right by her ear.

“If I take my hand off your mouth, are you going to scream?” He whispered.

Lailah shook her head and slowly he lowered his hand from her mouth.  
“…”

“Good job.” His lips left her ear and huffed a laugh into her neck making Lailah tense. “So… tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure of a… personal visit?”

“…”

Frank stood up to his full height and looked down at her, amusement clearly evident on his face. His thumb trailed along her jawline and to her neck. He felt along her pulse line with his fingertips. Heat rose to her cheeks. While still disturbing no matter which way it was looked at, knowing this was her childhood friend couldn’t help but make her blush.

“I know you can talk.” His thumb grazed along her bottom lip. Strangely soft for someone with calloused hands. “How about letting me hear it?”

“…”

“Never thought my Obsession would come to me.”

“…”

Frank huffed a laugh and tilted her chin up so she was looking up at him. Their eye contact locked. He leaned down and Lailah tried to push herself back, but she was already pushed as far against the wall as she could go. Another smirk crossed his lips at her distress.

“You’d better go.” He whispered against her lips. Lailah had closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worst. But when he pulled away, she opened them; shocked that he hadn’t tried anything. “Before Jules finds you.”

“Aren’t you the leader?” Lailah finally managed to find her voice.

“Why ask questions you know the answer to?” Frank managed.

“…”

“I don’t feel like dealing with her yelling. I have more… important things to focus on.”

_I don’t like the way you said that while looking at me._

“…Why am I your Obsession?”

The whole concept of the Obsession was confusing to her. Laurie said that it could have benefits, if not dying was one of them then she’d take it. But Myers had killed Laurie on several occasions during Trials. What was it about being Frank’s obsession that caused her to be spared?

“Simple,” Frank smiled and leaned to her ear again. “You’re the only one that gets my blood pumping in the way I so desperately want.”

“…” Lailah’s face turned red. Much to Frank’s delight.

Without a second word or thought, Lailah ran from him. He may have looked somewhat like Frank from when they were kids, but he didn’t act _anything_ like it. Her mind was swimming and she was confused.

“I can’t wait until our next Trial…”

_Oh God… what have I done?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was on the shorter side compared to the others, but I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless. Let me know what you think! <3


	13. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Something interesting happened in there.” 
> 
> I have made the strangest bunch of friends. Of course, I’ve seen Stranger Things happen here…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! Here we are with Chapter 13... right? *checks* Yeah! Chapter 13. This one was really fun to write. I actually had a lot of laughter through it. I hope you enjoy it.

Shockingly enough, Lailah had no problem trudging her way from where The Legion were gathered to the campfire. There had been no barrier keeping her with the killers nor had there been an issue with finding her way back. It was like everything had changed back to the way it was supposed to be. The walk back had been deathly cold. Chilling her to her bone, she had been hyper aware of everything surrounding her. Staying alert would serve her well outside of a Trial as well as inside. Whatever the hell had chased her had no intention of letting her live. If it had gotten ahold of her, it would’ve ripped her limb from limb. There might’ve been nothing left by the time it was done. She would almost rather be killed by The Oni than deal with that thought. _Almost_.

Lost in her thoughts had taken her away from her surroundings for a moment. Crinkling leaves relatively close by caught her attention. A murder of crows cawed in the distance. Quickly, but stealthy, she hid behind one of the larger trees. If someone—or some _thing_ —was truly looking for her, she would stand out like a sore thumb if they happened to look her way. Closer. Closer. Thankfully, the heart thumping loudly was her own. Closer. Breathing. Loud. Cold. Shaking, Lailah found a branch close by. It was hefty; short but girthy. Exhaling with a shaky breath, she picked it up and waited for the leaves to crinkle close by before she darted from the tree and swung with all the force her beaten body carried.

A loud grunt of pain was followed by a just as loud _thud_. It took a moment for her eyes to focus in the adrenaline rush and the bright moon casting a plethora of new shadows. When she did, she dropped the branch and covered her mouth. On the ground, David was groaning holding his stomach. His face had a large red mark across from his jawline to his temple.

“Oh no!” Lailah exclaimed, kneeling by her friend. “I am so sorry, David!”

“Ye got a ‘ell of an arm on ya.” David muttered, letting out a breathy cough.

“Self-defense classes.” Lailah commented, standing up and holding out a hand.

His large hand encapsulated hers. Despite her being able to knock him down, she was having a hard time picking him up. Had David been paying attention, there was no way she would’ve been able to knock him down; self-defense classes or no. When David was standing to his full height; towering over her, she started brushing off his shirt trying to rid him of all the dirt and leaves. David said nothing and just let her work. She didn’t know enough words to apologize for hitting him.

“It’s a’right.” David finally said, brushing her hands off.

“I really am sorry. What are you even doing out here?”

“Ya’ve been gone fer quite a while. Started to worry ‘bout ya.”

Lailah smiled; genuinely. Despite Steve’s horrid personality, it was nice to know that there were still those that worried about her.

“Were you just wondering around aimlessly?”

“It innit as bad as it sounds.” David shrugged.

“You know this place is dangerous.”

David scoffed,  
“Ye ended up runnin’ in the forest wi’hout a care in the world.”

“W-Well—”

“Glad I found ye.” David said and took a hand and patted her head. “C’mon. Let’s get back. Too damn cold ‘ere.”

Lailah chuckled and nodded. She really could use with sitting down by the campfire. The tips of her fingers were numb and her toes were starting to follow. Wondering around the forest alone was a bad idea. She couldn’t believe that she had let her emotions get the better of her like that. Lailah liked to pride herself in being a relatively cool-headed person. But… just the news about Frank and Steve blatantly doing the exact thing she asked him _not_ to do to spite her set off the hot-headed side that she knew she had as much as she tried to deny it.

Neither of them said anything on the way back. It was enough to just walk side by side knowing they weren’t alone. Mostly defenseless and at The Entity’s mercy? Yes. Alone? Hardly. Had any of them ever went to the killer’s realm before? She was sure that she already knew the answer. If they had’ve, one of them would’ve said something. If she was the only one that was able to go into their side, what did that mean? Something told her that she didn’t want to know. But… the saying ‘the truth shall set you free’ might be literal here. What made her so special? Would she ever know? Was that the key to figuring out how the hell to get out of there?

Breaking through the campfire’s clearing she smiled at meeting the eyes of her friends. The smile faded for a moment once she counted everyone there. Excluding her and David, there were 19 survivors. That meant that David had willingly walked into the forest alone to try and find her. She had been wondering why there was no one around. Was he insane? Like he had said though, she wasn’t much better. Taking a peek at David, an unspoken understanding traveled between them and he gave her a quick nod and a pat on the back before heading over to his spot between Claudette and Tapp.

“I’m glad to see you’re safe.” Jane smiled.

“Yeah… sorry.” Lailah gave a weak laugh and sat down between Feng Min and Yui making sure to send a glare Steve’s way who quickly looked away from her. “I just had a bit of an overload.”

A few moments of silence passed between the group. Lailah pretended not to notice everyone looking at her as she stared at the eternally burning campfire. Her mind drifted back to the resort where she saw The Legion. Julie was not happy with her presence. At all. It was safe to assume that whenever she had the shitty luck enough to be stuck in a Trial with her, Lailah would be the first to go. Or maybe the last so Julie could revel in it. She shuddered and rubbed her arms. This cold wouldn’t leave. As long as she was there, it would be looming over her.

“Something on your mind darlin’?” Kate asked.

“… No.” Lailah said and rubbed the back of her neck. “That’s a lie. Yeah, there is.”

“Care to share?” Quentin asked rubbing his eyes.

“It’s strange. I was in the forest. There’s… something out there. Something not human. Not killer. It’s a beast. I didn’t get a good look at it, but I could feel the malevolence coming from it. It was like a being of pure malice.” Lailah huffed a laugh in disbelief. “I know it sounds crazy.”

“Look at the situation we’re in,” Jake commented, lounging against one of the logs. “I mean, anything’s possible.”

“I think it’s guarding something. What though… I can’t be sure. I had never even heard it before. Everything in the forest looked the same after I was wandering there for a bit. It was almost like I got stuck in a pocket that was different than the forest we’re used to being in. No matter which direction I turned in, I ended up back at the beginning. Perhaps I had found something I wasn’t supposed to since that’s when I heard the creature’s growl. When it started chasing me, I ran. For some reason… that small pocket didn’t stop me or send me back to the beginning. I continued to run and almost… _through_ something. It was like some tension had been released.” Lailah explained, using her hands to try and better convey the events. “And I was back at the Ormond Resort by my house.”

“What?” Claudette asked.

“But… it wasn’t _really_ there. But the strangest thing was… it wasn’t a Trial. There were no generators or exit gates. It just looked like in a Trial, but without our shit. Inside was The Legion. They were arguing. Apparently their Leader, uh… F-Frank… he was acting weird.” Lailah held her head. “Julie—the fucking psycho that chased me in here—was accusing him of having issues. Joey—he wears a skull mask—said that they heard he had an obsession ‘through the grapevine’. Whatever the hell that means.”

“You saw a killer outside of the Trials?” Meg asked.

“Yeah… weird, right?”

“I didn’t think it was possible…” Claudette whispered.

“The Legion’s leader—Frank, I mean—found me. He left the resort to get away from Julie’s screaming and ended up finding me. But… he let me go. I asked him why I was his obsession and he uh… answered.” Lailah cleared her throat and looked down, feeling heat rise to her face.

_Simple, you’re the only one that gets my blood pumping in the way I so desperately want._

“Frank said he didn’t choose it. Which makes me think The Entity chose it for him. When he saw me, he acted completely different than he did in the chalet. It… was so weird.” Lailah said and heard David huff from the other side of their clearing.

“Is he… alright upstairs?” Laurie asked.

“Honestly… it’s been fourteen years. I don’t know anymore. He was lonely and awkward when we were kids, but other than that he was pretty normal.” Lailah admitted. “Whatever’s happened to him in that time has changed him.”

“Sounds like a personal war.” Bill said.

“Or a split personality.” Nea interjected.

“Can’t say too much, this place will do that to you.” Feng held out her hands to the fire, rubbing them together.

“I’d like to think that there’s still some semblance of the Frank I knew as a kid in there, but… he never would’ve deliberately hurt someone when we were younger.”

“If Frank did not choose you as the Obsession, then it’s safe to assume Michael did not for Laurie as well. However, you both have connections with killers outside of this realm. Which also leads me to believe that this Obsession trait is not as random as The Entity would have us believe.” Adam chipped in. “If it is an ancient being, it has had many millennia to practice and refine the inner workings of this realm.”

“That… doesn’t really make me feel better.” Steve commented.

“It was not supposed to.” Adam blinked.

“…”

Lailah pondered over their learnings. Did The Entity have a reason for picking Obsessions between people? Was it more calculating than she had originally thought? The thought excited her, let them know that they were coming closer and closer to the truth. More than excitement though, she felt fear. What else could it do other than create its own realm and screw them all up, adding in the Obsessions as well. What was its end goal? Did it have one? What would happen if they found it out? Could they stop it? If they did, could they go home? More questions… and still not enough answers.

Bit by bit, she began to piece things together between her and Laurie. Both of them had dealings with the killers outside of this realm. Each of them—when in a Trial together—seemed to have tunnel vision with them. They wouldn’t stop until they were dead. Michael on the other hand was more ruthless than Frank. His sole purpose was to see Laurie dead, no matter what. He’d mow through everyone else just to get to her. Laurie had said it was a feeling that she was familiar with but didn’t elaborate further. Frank on the other hand seemed to go out of his way to make sure that he terrified her and hurt her, but not sacrifice her. Julie was the one that had gutted her. Frank seemed almost enthralled with the idea of her living. He was a shitty killer… for her at least. He plowed through everyone else, just as Michael did. Was part of the _real_ Frank showing through then? Did he really want to kill anyone? Was he a killer underneath it all? What would happen if she told Frank who she was? Would he leave them _all_ alone if she asked? No matter how much Lailah thought about it, she couldn’t come to a definitive conclusion.

Her thoughts were interrupted by smoke billowing from around her ankles. Part of her wished that she would die in this Trial to refresh her injuries. Her stitches were popped, blood was thankfully stopped by the gauze, but she was still in so much pain. Looking over; Adam, Steve, and Jeff all had the same smoke around them. How long would she have to deal with this? She was so exhausted. Sleep would be a welcome relief. Perhaps when she returned she would test her luck at trying to get some restful sleep.

The familiar stabbing of the Fog’s pain made her groan. When it cleared, she was in a junkyard. Cars were crushed and stacked in large piles around. The ground was littered with cans, soda bottles, and other various items. Lailah looked around. Alone. She headed towards a gas station that was in the distance. The light inside flickered on and off. Remembering the bell would ding if she went in the front door, she headed through the back. Flush against the back wall was a fountain. White stone with a face in the center where pure water was pouring from it. Sighing, she hung her head.

_The Plague._

If she could just get herself onto a gen and focus on it, she could get out of here without crumpling on the ground and puking up everything inside of her. Making sure to wipe her hands on her pants, she opened the control panel and opened the toolbox that had been bestowed onto her at the entry. It was relatively well kept. She searched through it and frowned. These were fancier tools than what she was used to using. Rigging the generator to just barely work enough to turn on was what she was used to. A shining piece of metal glistened from the bottom. She would have to focus on getting the broken gear from the inside out without searing her hand off. The inside of the generator was hot and shorting out. Each time she’d end up pulling at an end she’d get a mix of fiery pain and an electrical charge. But… this new gear would help their generator progression exponentially.

Bearing through the pain, she ended up replacing the gear. She wiped her sweaty hands down on her pants again, she connected the wires next to the gear that would help it start, immediately two pistons started firing. A bright smile came to her face. It faded quickly though when the killer’s heartbeat started slamming in her ears. It was all she heard. Hard to focus. This wire to this wire? No. Shit! The generator backfired, sending sparks Lailah’s way. She screamed out and turned; seeing The Plague standing there. She was blocking the only exit out of the garage.

Tall. Bulbous welts appearing on various places of her body and face almost always made her gag. Wherever she went, the putrid stench of vomit and death would follow. She said something in a language that Lailah didn’t understand. She barely had any time to react before The Plague took a deep breath and expelled red vomit—more than was possible on any human—at her. She put her hands up, but not in enough time. Her clothes were covered. _She was_ covered. Lailah coughed and tried to avoid the swinging incense burner that the killer carried. Lailah spit out the vomit that had landed in her mouth. It tasted metallic; blood. Chunky. Putrid. Evil. Vaulting was never her specialty, but she thought she had enough momentum. Unfortunately, The Plague got to her first. The shockingly heavy incense burner slammed into her head. The spiked decorations on the side scratching her face. Already, she could feel the bruise appearing on her face.

Get away. Leave. Move. Quickly! Escape! Oh God… Lailah held onto her stomach and covered her mouth. Her feeble attempt at keeping her sickness did nothing. Lurching, vomit slid between her fingers and onto a puddle between her feet. Her head began to hurt, not just from the incense burner smacking into her, but from the continuous vomiting. Despite the sickness coursing through her, she started on another generator. Her corrupted touch contaminated the generator, making her and it a pariah for any of the other survivors who wished to stay healthy. Three pistons in and Lailah hunched over and vomited a pile that was unnaturally large. Bits of the sickness lodged themselves in her nostrils, making it harder to breathe. Her body became tired and her spirit felt broken. She would get this generator done. Every bit of her body begged her to leave it and die, but she refused to quit.

The lightbulb went off and the generator popped. A quick look around, and she saw the white aura of a fountain in the distance. A loud scream from close by. Lailah pulled herself along on anything she could find. Jeff screamed in the distance, making Lailah cringe. She rested her hands on the lip of the fountain. Exhaling, she dipped her hand into the water and shoveled it into her mouth. It tasted crystal clear; like a savior. Lailah kept herself propped up on the fountain. The Plague’s heartbeat was close. Just one more bit of water—! Lailah screamed as she hit the floor, knocking her head against the stone fountain. The Plague did something, but Lailah couldn’t tell as her vision was blurred. The woman picked her up and Lailah was unable to struggle. Her head hurt and her vision was still blurry. The only thing Lailah could do was half consciously watch the vomit slid down The Plague’s back each time the sickness overtook her.

The hook slammed through her back. A soul shattering scream tore through her. Body hanging, Lailah watched the auras of her friends run around. One was getting chased. Another was coming for her. One was on a generator. Lailah could see him lurching every now and again. Even on the hook, Lailah couldn’t get a break and escape the sickness. It poured from her mouth and stained her clothes making her swing back and forth. Each time, Lailah felt the hook digging further in and tearing more sinewy muscle and ligaments.

“Adam…” Lailah managed out in a croak.

“I have you.” He whispered, helping her off the hook.

Lailah had meant to thank him but repaid in another way. Before she could cover her mouth, she passed the sickness onto Adam. He coughed and shook his head, but she could tell he didn’t blame her. That didn’t make her feel any less bad.

“I… Sorry…”

“It is alright. Quick. Find the pure water.” Adam coughed and headed in another direction.

Lailah didn’t have the energy to argue. Another generator popped. She tried to find another fountain. The killer’s heartbeat came closer, and Lailah ran far away the best her broken body was able. Every few steps, she’d expel more sickness making her stagger. She breathed out as she gripped onto another fountain, trying to clear her nasal passages of the sickness. However, they just filled back up again. She shoveled that crystal-clear water into her mouth, swallowing it. Bubbling churned in her stomach and Lailah fell on all fours, retching up a large red puddle of sickness. A glance at the fountain made her frown. The water had turned a deep blood red… She internally apologized to her friends. She had no choice. Grunting, she stood up and took the bottom of her shirt and blew her nose until she was able to breathe again. She took a deep breath, calming her swimming head.

Two screams came from the distance and she could see the auras of two of her friends on the hooks. Wiping her nose, she snuck her way over to one friend. It was Adam. He was dangling, his eyes closed and light pained groans emitting from parted lips. When Lailah gripped onto Adam, another scream came from closer by. It sounded like a little bitch.

_Steve._

Lailah picked Adam off the hook. He managed to turn away quick enough so he didn’t infect her. Silently, she thanked him but also wished that she was able to control it. Of course, he had been doing it longer than she had. Jeff’s scream rang out. A large shockwave shook the Trial. Lailah and Adam stumbled. Jeff’s form was pulled up into the sky with The Entity’s claws stabbed through it. A portal opened and eaten up. Lailah pulled Adam to the side, far enough to where they were away from the hook. She heard The Plague slam her incense burner into a generator; slowing it down. Her friend let out a muffled cry of pain and he gripped onto his chest. He fell over, attempting to catch himself on the wall, but missed. Thankfully, Lailah had reacted quick enough to where she could keep him up.

“…” Adam grunted.

“I’ve got you.” Lailah said. “Don’t worry.”

A strange feeling blossomed in Lailah’s chest. It felt warm. Almost like the content feeling one gets when they get a comforting hug from a loved one. Warmth—other than the literal definition from the campfire—was a hard thing to come by here. And certainly in a Trial. She looked at Adam who looked just as confused as she was. Adding evermore to the shocking situation was her friend’s spirit looking restored. He stood up with all his normal strength. Lailah, on the other hand, fell to her knees. A scream and Lailah looked at Steve’s aura. He was fending off The Entity’s claws.

“Go… I’m alright.” Lailah lied. Adam was still sick, but it looked like he had more time. Her, on the other hand, had hardly enough strength to help herself up.

Unfortunately, by the time Adam had made it to Steve, The Entity had overpowered him. Another shock wave shook the Trial. This time, it did knock Lailah over. Steve’s form was eaten by the sky just like Jeff’s was. Lailah hid behind one of the walls. The Plague was chasing Adam around. Each time she tried to spew her vile purge at him, he would end up ducking behind or under something just in time. He would be a good person to learn from. The Plague ended up losing him. She screamed something in whatever language she was speaking. From her spot, she could see Adam reaching in his pocket for something. Lailah raised a brow and watched him lean up and toss something far from him. The killer snapped her head in the direction of the sound and followed it. What the hell? Her jaw dropped and she huffed a laughed when Adam held up a rock. Had The Plague really been distracted by… a rock? The situation—while comical—would’ve been even more so if they weren’t fighting off death.

Adam took another rock and threw it further away, calling The Plague to that spot. They both snuck further and further from the sickly woman. They could do this. It was harder, but not impossible. If Adam could keep distracting her long enough, she could find a generator and get on it. Unfortunately, The Plague’s voice was closer than she would’ve hoped. Adam was patting his pocket and his eyes widened. He ran out. Quickly, he looked around, but found nothing. Running the best she was able, she ran for her friend and pushed him out of the way and took the hit for him; being slammed to the ground.

The Plague stopped for a moment and stared at her form on the ground. It gave time for Adam to leave as she was enthralled by… whatever it was. About five seconds later, she turned around and was on the hunt for Adam. Slowly, her blood pooled around her. She saw Adam’s aura fairly close by. Crawling to him would be his certain death. He motioned for her, but she shook her head. She hadn’t taken this hit just for him to give up his own life. She crawled. Away. Far, far away from Adam. The Plague circled around, but Adam refused to give up on her. The further away from him she crawled, the closer he came. The heartbeat was gone, and he ran over. Pulling some gauze and a capped syringe from his pocket, he stabbed her quickly and wrapped her body. Lailah waved him off and he ran. The Plague screamed out and went towards an exit gate and slammed her weapon against it. Beneath her, the ground cracked open.

_Did she… Did she just open the exit gate?_

Adam’s aura looked just as confused as she was. She passed by and Lailah pressed herself up. Holding onto her body, she ran. The heartbeat was still close, but not right on her. A tingle down her spine warned her of impending doom. She looked around and found herself hiding in one of the red lockers. The groaning of her pain echoed against the metal walls. Claustrophobia was starting to set in. The Plague was standing right outside of the locker. Blood trails were just outside, leading right in. She looked around for a couple of seconds, confused. Checking lockers would make sense, but it seemed like her brain was muddled. The heartbeat eventually faded away and she quietly got out of the locker.

Trying to find Adam would take a lot of time. It was time that she didn’t have. One exit gate was open, but she was heavily guarding it. The other one was within eyesight. Did she just give them hope to take it away? Lailah looked down at the ground. It was becoming redder and redder; cracking to reveal the hell beneath. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She was patrolling the gates; tight. Adam came up behind her and touched her shoulder, almost making her scream. Trepidation set in. Neither of them said anything, but she knew. Both did. One of them was not getting out of there alive. One would need to run distraction for them to get out.

“I will run distraction.” Adam said.

“You’re crazy.” Lailah shook her head. “There has to be some way to get out of here.”

“You are in no shape to run. If she were to catch you, you are dead.”

“…”

“I will guard you. No matter what, keep running.” Adam said. “Careful. She approaches.”

Lailah looked at the ground again. Time was limited. This needed to be timed perfectly. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Fear coursed through her. Adrenaline. Fear. Hope. Worry. Anger. Rush. Go. Run. Protect. Thoughts; words, just ran through her mind. Adam waited until The Plague turned the corner and darted in front of her. Lailah snuck behind, heading towards the open gate. The killer smacked Adam; sending him instantly to the ground.

_No matter what, keep running._

She had meant to, but her feet had frozen for a second. A second was all it took. The Plague instantly turned around. Lailah ran towards the gate. In the center, the burner met her head and knocked her down. The Plague picked her up and brought her outside of the exit gate and dropped her. Lailah looked to her left. A totem; brightly lit taunted her. Blinking through her blurred vision, she watched The Plague wrap her chain around Adam and pick him up. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth. A waterfall of green vomit left her mouth. Each time Adam screamed and tried to turn his head, she heard the gurgling of the sickness entering through his mouth; his nose; seeping into his eyes. It burned him like acid. Lailah watched as his body involuntarily swallowed some of it trying to get some room to breathe. He gagged, but she didn’t stop. Only when Adam’s body went limp did she stop. His body was flung right by her. Vomit oozed from his eye sockets, his nostrils, his mouth.

Tears filled her eyes. A ding filled the air just before a tendril of black and red jutted from the ground, impaling her through the stomach. She lifted her head, but her weight seemed like too much. Her body slid down, opening the wound further up as it spread her body. Claws from around gripped onto her, refusing to let her go. They gripped tighter, her screams fueling it. It forced her body to turn; snapping her bones and leaving her limp. The long claw that had initially impaled her reached back and slammed through her skull leaving her in complete darkness.

Lailah sat up with a loud gasp. Her lungs thanked her for the airflow. Her head hurt. Pain. But… her wounds were gone. She was back to ground zero. All shiny and new just to be battered and broken once more. Tears gathered in her eyes and she shook her head. They were right there. That was quite possibly the worst part. They had survived until the end. Just to have that dangled in front of them and then taken away. It was foolish to think that she was being shown mercy. Not every killer was Frank. Frank… was _he_ even merciful? The Plague had played them. Adam and her had fallen for it. That hex… it was the cause of Adam’s instant down.

“Adam—”

“I know.” He said. “I made mistakes as well.”

Lailah rubbed her hands down her face. She recalled how Adam had The Plague’s vile purge oozing from every orifice she could see. Being so filled with sickness that his body couldn’t contain it. That was something straight from nightmares. It was hard telling just how far in her life she’d have to deal with seeing that behind closed eyelids. A hot coal settled in her stomach. Adam’s death was her fault. It didn’t matter how much he tried to comfort her or make her think otherwise, she knew. How many deaths of her friends had she caused? Had they failed that much when they first arrived? Did they just tolerate her because she was a teammate? If she didn’t get better, they could end up hating her. That would be wonderful… Having the only things keeping her sane hating her.

“Something interesting happened in there.” Adam said.

“Oh?” Ash asked.

“Yes. My body was broken. But… somehow, Lailah took it from me. Took it upon herself.”

Her teammates turned to her.  
“I… I don’t know what happened. I just remembered that I wanted to help him. I didn’t know what was happening. I just remember thinking that I wanted to protect Adam. After that, I ended up hiding in a locker. I didn’t know what to do, but… The Plague didn’t see or hear me when she should’ve. I ended up taking a hit for Adam, and she stopped and watched me for a good five seconds like she was seeing something I wasn’t.”

“I believe that Lailah has finally uncovered her latent abilities.” Adam said.

“My… what?”

“Recall I told you that we had certain traits outside of this realm that manifested itself into abilities that are unique to each of us?”

“Yeah… vaguely.” Lailah admitted.

Adam smirked.  
“I believe you have finally found yours.”

“Hopefully… if I can use it right, then I can be more helpful.” Lailah muttered more to herself than the others.

“It’s a tough job, but hey, at least it comes with a lot of perks.” Ace said.

Each one of them looked at Ace and groans of aggravation and annoyance dotted them here and there.

“Well, maybe now that you’ve figured out what you can do, maybe you’ll come save someone off the hook next time.” Steve said, looking over at her.

“Look, I wasn’t going to run out into the middle of the Trial to get you.”

“So you let me die?”

“Not intentionally.” Lailah admitted.

Steve stood up, Lailah followed. She was so tired of him. Accusing her of everything. Picking fights with her. Trying to make it sound like she was useless. In all the Trials she’d been in with him, he was normally dying of his own accord. She could probably count on one hand how many times he’d actually been helpful. Yes, teamwork was everything. Steve was more of a solo player that liked to blame his team when he failed.

“Bullshit.” Steve took a step closer.

“Trust me, if I wanted you dead, you would’ve been dead a _lot_ sooner.” Lailah shot back.

“Oh yeah?”

“Absolutely.” Lailah scoffed. “But I give you some credit.”

“…” Steve raised a brow. “That right?”

“Yeah. You made a good meat bag.” Lailah said matter-of-factly.

She pretended not to hear some of her teammate’s gasps of shock. Lailah was normally calm. She respected and valued each of her team members but being rude to her could make her say things completely out of character and not entirely true.

Steve growled and shoved her. Lailah staggered backwards but caught herself.

“Did you just fucking _push_ me?”

“And if I did? I’m tired of you acting like Miss Perfect!” Steve exclaimed.

“Well what a coincidence! I’m tired of you thinking you can’t do anything wrong and that _your_ stupid mistakes are everyone else’s fault!” Lailah shoved him back.

“That’s rich coming from someone who barely survives.” Steve scoffed.

“…”

“C’mon, Steve that—” Ash began.

“And let’s be real here. The only reason you survive against The Legion is because that _psycho_ is your little boyfriend!”

_That’s it!_

Lailah reached back and with all her force, punched Steve. It made her hand throb, but she wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing that. He gripped onto his jaw and moved it. She saw his tongue feeling around the inside of his mouth, probably trying to find if she chipped any teeth or drew any blood. She hoped she did both so his smile would look as shitty as his personality. Making sure he couldn’t see, she shook her hand behind her.

“Heh…” Steve spit some blood into the grass.

Tension fell over them like a thick blanket. All of the survivors’ eyes were on Lailah and Steve’s who hadn’t stopped looking at each other. Each displayed hatred for the other and it was only a matter of time who was going to pounce on the other first. Their curiosities didn’t take long to be answered. Steve crossed the gap between them and grabbed her by the jacket and shook her.

“Hey! Hey!” Dwight pulled at Steve’s arms. “Let her go!”

“What are you gonna do, hit me?” Lailah asked with a chuckle. She was so done with his shit.

“I—”

Lailah let out a yelp of surprise when Steve fell to the ground with a loud _thud_. He was knocked completely unconscious. It wouldn’t shock her if he had a concussion. She looked over and saw David flexing his fingers and smirking.

“Been wantin’ ta do ‘hat for a long time.” He said.

“…Holy shit.” Lailah gasped.

“Idiot…” Bill said and blew out some smoke from his cigarette.

“… You’ve been beaten up so many times, I thought you would’ve learned by now.” Nancy said, completely unphased by the unconscious Steve that had fallen next to her.

_I have made the strangest bunch of friends. Of course, I’ve seen Stranger Things happen here…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! So BEFORE YOU GUYS GET SHOOK NASTY IN THE COMMENTS, no I have NOT seen any episode of Stranger Things. I am simply basing the Steve in this story off the actions of people that have played as him in Dead by Daylight. 
> 
> They always seem to be the type to blame others for their shortcomings, act like they're always the team's savior, likes always being the center of attention, and is terrible with stress. I apologize if he was out of character from the Steve that you may have seen in Stranger Things, but this is the type of Steve I have been exposed to.
> 
> Let me know what you think. Have a good day/night! Thanks for reading!


	14. The Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I need to see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! How's it going guys? Happy New Years! I know it's a little late. I was working on Bruises and Bitemarks--which is a Lailah x Frank modern day AU fic of mine if you're interested in reading it. It's kinda cool I think--and ended up missing a New Years chapter for this fic.
> 
> ANYWAY! Enough self promotion! Disgusting! XD
> 
> I hope that this chapter was worth the wait and that you enjoy it!

As the realm had no concept of time, there was no telling how long Steve was out. When he groaned from his space on the ground, Lailah sighed. It was still too short of a time. Hating on each other and physically harming each other was only going to set them back in the long run. Getting along with someone that you were with all the time would—in time—grate on anyone’s gears. Even two people that were in love couldn’t be together 24/7 without getting into spats here and there. Lailah didn’t really hate Steve. No. Not by any means. As a whole she was sure that there was some semblance of a good person in there. After all, he had been a Survivor for longer than her. Surely he had to have helped some of their fellow teammates. It was the way he knew what to say to get under someone’s skin. It was the way that he didn’t _stop_ until someone ended up escalating things and then he would end up becoming shocked when someone fought back. In short, he was a bully. As much as she hated to admit it, he did have… a spark of truth in his words. Someone that had all the crayons in the box wouldn’t end up licking someone’s blade from a knife, wouldn’t laugh when a blade was pressed against their throat, wouldn’t caress someone’s neck with that look on their face. Was Frank _really_ a psycho? Was Steve… right?

From the corner of her eyes, she was able to see Steve pushing himself up from his spot. Dirt and leaves were caked onto the side of his face. Had she not been fighting her own brain; she would’ve found the sight comical. Lailah searched the fire intently as if it held the answers to all her questions. The crackling seemed to be talking to her. If only she could decipher what it was saying, then maybe she would be able to have an idea how to save not only herself, but her friends as well. It was only wishful thinking. The campfire wasn’t talking. There was no secret code she was missing. The only hope they had was following a paper trail of someone that might be about 200 years old and receiving offerings from someone who made a descent into madness. If Vigo could get his hands on them, would he still try to kill them? Or was he past that. It wasn’t like they found anything else that would give them clues.

Groaning continued from her right until Steve was sitting completely up and was wiping off his face. Half expecting a second attack, she kept her guard up. There was no doubt in her mind that David would jump at the chance to deck Steve again. Hell, Bill might even jump in on it. That wasn’t what she wanted though. The campfire was supposed to be their respite from the violence. Coming from a Trial just to be sent with more violence would only tear at the threads of their sanity; fraying them just as bare as the wires that needed to be repaired in the generators. Steve kept his trap shut though. The only sounds coming from him were the groans and moans of pain as he sat back against a log. Feeling bad for Steve was outweighed by her anger. Yes, he had just said those things to get under her skin. To “desensitize her”, as he had put it earlier. But… how could she just call Frank those names? He clearly wasn’t the boy that she knew anymore, but, she had a hard time seeing him as anything else.

_How could he do this?! I hate him so much! He’s hurting people…_ killing _them!_

Some people were just born bad. Laurie had told her about what type of person Michael was before they ended up in this realm. He had just murdered his sister. Blatantly. Spending all that time in the mental asylum did nothing and once he escaped he just started killing again. Michael had even stolen his sister’s tombstone right from the graveyard. He was evil incarnate. But, was Frank the same? Was… Was this _her_ fault? Granted, he was his own person and she couldn’t control him or anything like that. Knowing it; thinking logically did nothing. The more emotional side of her brain pushed those thoughts away and left her with the crushing weight of guilt on her shoulders. Lailah buried her face in her knees and hugged her legs closer to her body.

_…If only I had tried to find him sooner. Could I have saved him? What if I could have?_

Should’ve. Would’ve. Could’ve. All past tense. All things that she couldn’t change. Frank is who he is now. Lailah is who she is now. Killer and Survivor. Survivor and Killer. Two people that should be hating each other. The fact that he spared her when she somehow wandered in The Legion’s realm left some hope that he was someone else inside; that he was _her_ Frank. The one she had thought of all this time. Then again, he could’ve just spared her so he could do more harm to her in the long run. Take his time with her and then he could extract as much fear and hope from her that would feed The Entity for years to come. How far could she go? If it meant that holding out would reveal some of the natural Frank that she was familiar with, Lailah was sure that she’d be able to hold out through a lot of hell just in the hopes of finding some glimmer of her old friend. Was that what The Entity wanted?

“Someone say something.” Feng Min said.

Lailah blinked, her eyes watering. So deep in her thoughts, she had forgotten to blink. The coolness of the air and the slight wind occasionally produced dried out her eyes and she groaned. Various sounds from her other teammates was all she heard as she tried to rub some lubrication back into her tired eyes. All this time Lailah had thought she was the one who was thinking while the others talked among themselves. She couldn’t help but wonder what else everyone else was thinking about. Lailah and Frank? The situation in general? David punching Steve? Lailah calling Steve ‘a meat bag’? Part of her felt bad for insulting him the way that she had, but… she didn’t feel bad enough to apologize especially since he called Frank a psycho.

“Didn’t realize y’all were lost in your thoughts too.” Kate said with a humorless laugh.

“…Yeah.” Nancy whispered, looking over at Steve who was keeping his gaze on the campfire. “Just thinking about home.”

“Heh. Wonder how it is out there.” Bill said, flicking off some ashes on the ground. “Can’t be too much worse for wear than it was when I got here.”

Lailah huffed a laugh. He wasn’t wrong. The world was already on the verge of collapse in his world. Would he be able to return? If he did, what would he return to? What about the rest of them? Perhaps the hardest part about being in this realm was not knowing the passage of time outside of it. If they knew that, then perhaps there was a way that they could adequately measure the time that they were spending here. Comparing the two, they could realize how long they were out of their time. That was under the assumption that time was flowing at the same pace inside and outside of the realm. No matter how many ways she thought of trying to gain an upper in this world, she was thwarted at each time; reaching a dead end and backing up to square one.

“Any plans for when we get out of here?” Lailah asked with a bitter tone.

“’avin’ me the biggest fuckin’ pint I can find in a pub.” David said, clapping his hands together.

“Probably sleeping.” Quentin admitted. “I could probably sleep the day I get out and wake up and be older than Bill.”

“Find my mom… wherever that might take me.” Meg said and chuckled. “Gotta find out what’s happened to her.”

The mood lifted slightly around the campfire. Yes, most of their stories were sad. It was simple things that they’d do once they left; pay bills, find family, eat, drink, sleep. But… they’d learn to appreciate them more. Off-handedly she wondered how long it would be before she would be able to get real sleep. If she ever would be able to again. Lailah couldn’t help but smile though. Kate wanted to sing. Adam wanted to go teach. Ace wanted to gamble. Jane wanted to talk to her father. Jake wanted to talk to his mother. Jeff wanted to find his dog. Feng Min wanted to patch things up with her parents and get them to understand her love for e-gaming. Yui wanted to see the Sakura 7 Gang again. Dwight wanted to stand up for himself. Tapp wanted to focus more on life than spending all his time on the Jigsaw case. Claudette wanted to check on everyone in the forums and call her parents. Nea wanted to get back to painting. Laurie wanted to just get back home and see Michael back somewhere far from her. Bill wanted to find his friends. Ash wanted to return home. Nancy and Steve needed to get home and help their friends. By the end of sharing their thoughts, most of them were smiling. A couple of them were crying. _Most_ of them were crying.

“If we hold onto this hope, it will see us through.” Adam said. “Together we can do this.”

Lailah started crying again. Adam’s pep talk, everyone’s wants; hopes; desires. It gave her a warm feeling through her body. Warmer than the campfire. Holding onto this hope was their key. It was the only thing that was going to get them through this; just as Adam said. They knew this. Keeping onto that hope was the hardest part. Especially when they were starting to turn up dead ends with no new direction. Like her wandering into the killer’s realm. The guard beast that almost tore her limb from limb.

_Wait… limb from limb?_ Lailah gasped and quickly stood up.

“Is everythin’ alright, darlin’?” Kate asked.

Her brain kept repeating over and over her thought. Better not forget it. The whole idea was a stretch, but… like everyone kept reiterating they knew nothing of the true inner workings of this realm like Benedict Baker and Vigo were starting to figure out. Of course, they hadn’t been here as long as them either. That was for sure. They would know that with no issue. It would be the feeling of being an Ancient One themselves without being a creature like The Entity. She pulled things from Baker’s trunk, placing them on her sides. Lailah exhaled a sigh of relief when she pulled out the item she was looking for. Turning back to the campfire, she watched her friends look at the item in her hands.

“Vigo’s Journal?” Steve asked, talking for the very first time since he woke up.

“Yes.” Lailah nodded. “Listen. Memory 1750: He’s lost. He doesn’t know where he is. He sees things like tentacles reaching out for him from the fog and he knows they’re not real. None of it is. He’s losing his mind if he hasn’t lost it already. His eyes play tricks on him. He sees giant, nameless creatures looming over him. Doesn’t matter. They’re not real. None of it is. His hunger confuses him. Oppresses him. He’d do anything for that feeling again. Anything. Even… return to the trials. He would. He’d rip survivors and killers apart limb from limb for that feeling again. He begins to mumble words. A promise… one flower… one flower… and I will do anything.”

“Nea read that.” Ash said.

“Oh. Right.” Lailah said and shook her head. “You weren’t in my head.”

“Scary place, I’m sure.” Jake said with a smirk.

“Astute.” Lailah exhaled.

“Lailah, I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say we’re confused as fuck.” Nea said.

“I ran into that beast in the forest. I just kept thinking that he wanted to tear me limb from limb. I’m not sure how I knew, but I _felt_ that was the creature’s goal. If it got a hold of me… it was going to end me.” Lailah looked back at the paper. “He’d rip survivors and killers apart limb from limb for that feeling again.”

“Wait, wait. So you’re saying that _creature_ in the forest is Vigo?” Detective Tapp asked.

“I can’t say for sure, but it was almost as if that thing was communicating with me on a cellular level. In all my time here, I’ve never felt more terrified than I did facing that thing.”

“You’re sayin’ that Vigo somehow turned into a creature that’s talkin’ the forest and wants to kill ya?” Kate asked, looking down at the ground.

Tapp started pacing back and forth at the campfire.  
“They often say answers come with madness.” He said. “What if he found answers, but that flower that Claudette found was the only thing keeping him retaining his human form. Like an addiction. He got all this insight into the realm, but if he wasn’t supplemented with that flower’s nectar than he’d end up becoming something _more_ than human.”

“Yeah… Yeah, that sounds pretty good.” Ace nodded.

Hope rose around the campfire. Everything that they needed were in these pages. It was a matter of connecting dots. There was a good thing that there was 21 of them. That was more brains to look at it from a different point of view. Sometimes one would see or think of something that the other wouldn’t. If Vigo _was_ the creature, then why was it patrolling the forest?

“Read the others.” Bill said.

“Uh. Right. Memory 1746: He moves through the death and decay of the void. He doesn’t remember his name. Everything’s a blue. He feels pain in his stomach. In his arms. In his veins. He needs… he needs to find one of those… flowers… the nectar… the sweet serum that gives… strength. Strength for what? He remembers… the killers… experimenting on them. Why? Why was he experimenting on them? He doesn’t… remember. He caused a lot of suffering, but he doesn’t feel remorse. He doesn’t even know if he should feel remorse. He doesn’t feel anything but an ache in the pit of his stomach for power.”

“He was changing…” Jane whispered.

“Once he started taking that flower; its serum… he couldn’t stop. He tried to find more in The Void.” Claudette said. “There had to be something else coming out of it besides the high. Maybe he was getting answers.”

“Closer to The Entity perhaps?” Nea mused.

“Arcus 731: Hard to tell when one day ends and another begins. The tower and the library help me cope, but it’s hard to forget the truth of my situation even for a moment knowing everything I have is a lie. I have access to anything I want and yet I have nothing. The survivors continue to undergo the trials with the most brutal of killers. I continue to search the fog for the memories of those who found a way to escape. It sometimes feels like a futile search. But then again… I’ve got time on my hands… lots of time…”

“Was he… talking about Vigo?” Ace wondered.

“So… Vigo got a hold of the flower. Used it for a serum—which is weird enough in itself—but then got addicted to it. If the flower is a one-way connection to The Entity, then he could be trying to get more answers as well as the high. He would end up losing his form to try and keep answers coming. But he needed the flower. He crossed into The Void, whatever the hell that is, to try and find it. Vigo started losing himself. Without the flower to keep him connected; he began being punished. It began changing him from the inside; his thoughts, his memories, his body. Until The Entity took complete hold of him and turned him into that creature.” Jake leaned back and sighed. “If that’s true then… Vigo was probably trying his hardest to probe through everything and figure out how to get home. He probably knew by the time The Entity got a hold of him. It might’ve even forced the flowers out of existence to grab onto Vigo and keep him tight. It got a guardian and got to keep the information secret. It had a plan for Vigo from the beginning; to use him.”

“Going off the thought of that thing being Vigo, what is it protecting?” Nancy asked.

“Maybe a way out?” Dwight asked.

“… It would make sense. Or a weakness.” Detective Tapp threw out.

“But… why wouldn’t it get rid of the weakness to begin with?” Lailah asked.

“Maybe it can’t.” Steve muttered.

“If yer an all powerful ancient creature; ya’ve created your own world, ‘n’ all o’ a sudden, you’re not able to fix a weakness?” David said.

“Steve… might be right.” Lailah said and looked over at Steve. He gave her a small smile with his bruised lips. She nodded. “What if something was interfering with it, that’s why he’s placing Vigo there.”

“Why—”

“Benedict Baker!” Feng Min exclaimed. “The Entity’s weakness is Benedict Baker. Somehow, he’s hidden. That Auris has hidden him. Wherever he is, is hidden. He can’t leave or The Entity will be able to find his location. Then he’ll be in danger. _We’ll_ be in danger. The Entity is using Vigo to patrol the known area for him.”

“Getting past Vigo is impossible…” Lailah said. “I barely managed to outrun him, and I’m not even sure that I did. I think he let me escape.”

“Because you were no longer a threat.” Ace said and sighed.

“We have to be careful. If Lailah can somehow enter the killer’s realms then… The Entity will do everything it can to destroy her.” Claudette said. “If we know… and it finds out. All of us are done for. It would be nothing for it to wipe us all out and find new survivors.”

Silence fell over the campfire again. Her heart was pounding. They were getting somewhere. Somewhere _important_. All this was conjecture, but… everything lined up. Vigo being dangerous. His desire for the flower. Not differentiating friend from for. Patrolling a certain area. This was a chip in The Entity’s armor. All they needed to do was chisel further and with a hard enough crack it would break. The Ancient One would be vulnerable and they could escape.

“Now the question is: how do we get passed Vigo to confirm our suspicions?” Lailah asked.

Everyone’s gears were turning. Some more than others. Some were stuck. That was alright. The point was that they were working together. Gears working together to make a machine work. That’s what they were; gears in a machine. If someone didn’t move with the others then the whole machine would work. It would become dysfunctional. Working towards an end as they were, then they needed to work together more than anything. Claudette gasped causing all eyes to turn to her. Recoiling slightly, she cleared her throat.

“That flower. All Vigo wants is that flower. Keeping it away from him is how The Entity controls him.”

“We get the flower to him; we get Vigo back.” Steve nodded and huffed a laugh.

“In a manner of speaking.” Adam said. “We need to create that serum.”

“We don’t know anythin’ about it.” Kate reminded.

“Can’t be too hard. Splash some things t’gether ‘n’ ya got yourself a serum.” David shrugged.

Claudette chuckled and adjusted her glasses.  
“If only it were that simple.”

“It ain’t?”

“Not in the least. Leave that part to me. Science is… kind of my specialty.”

“Alright. Cool.” Lailah clapped her sweating hands together. This was great. Amazing. They were _seriously_ going somewhere.

“I don’t mean to rain on everyone’s parade, but where are we supposed to find one?” Ash said.

The gears started turning once more. Lailah flipped through some of the pages and gnawed at the skin of her lip. There had to be _something_ here. Benedict Baker wouldn’t give these pages to them without having a meaning behind it. All they needed to do was find the meaning. Basing the idea that that creature _is_ Vigo and guarding where Benedict Baker was, then that would mean he was just as trapped as they were. He was calling for their help just as they were calling for his. Two friendlies on different sides of this realm hoping to come together enough to save each other.

“I cannot even begin to imagine how long this realm spreads.” Adam spoke.

“The chances of us stumbling on one isn’t likely either.” Nancy sighed.

_Dammit!_

The hope visibly started to deflate her friends. While they weren’t back to square one by any means… they were pretty close. All of this meant nothing if they couldn’t get a serum to Vigo. There was no serum without the flower. Lailah sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“If we hold on… something will come to us. Baker is guiding us. We’ll figure something out.” Lailah assured.

Fog began to surround Lailah’s feet. Looking around, she saw that David, Steve, and Kate were coming with her. She swallowed the lump in her throat. With the fight that her, David, and Steve had there was no telling how this Trial was going to turn out. Then there was the killer. There was a chance that it could be Julie… But there was also a chance that it could be Frank. Would she ever be able to tell him who she was? What would he do? What would _she_ do? Of course, The Legion wasn’t the _only_ killer around. It just felt like that each time she was in a trial that’s who she ended up going against.

Cold pricked her body almost like needles. While it used to bother her, now she paid it no mind. The warmth given to her from her friends’ rallying cries of hope and the camaraderie overpowered the cold evil of The Entity’s clutches. It was slight, but she did feel invincible. Those small moments, she knew, would help them in the long run.

_Yes. We’ll make it._

A Japanese style map surrounded her. To her right was an estate. Shockingly beautiful, even in its current state. The stone wall surrounding the house was broken and chipped. Bamboo covered the space in clusters in varying places. Those would be good to hide in. Lailah took a deep breath and exhaled. Slow and steady won the race. That’s all they needed to do was not rush. They needed to relax and be quick; but efficient. There was no heartbeat, but that meant nothing. She looked at eyelevel looking for The Pig trying to rush them. Her eyes were trained for the shadows in the moonlight after so many Trials, that The Wraith had a hard time sneaking up on them. Michael was a little bit harder. The evil within him was hard to combat. There was nothing that they could do to combat him without remaining out of sight. Even while running, he could still build up the evil inside until they were all in danger. She wiped her hands down her pants and entered the house. Making sure to be as quiet as possible, she moved to a generator that sat on the tatami mats; holding up the warped sliding doors adorned with flowers and what she thought was a crane.

She looked around and pulled open the control panel. Tugging at the wires, she untangled some of them. Footsteps creaked against the aged wood to her opposite side. Steve stopped and they locked eyes for a moment before he knelt across from her and started pulling at wires. Neither of them said anything; the awkward air hanging over them. Truthfully, she wanted to apologize for what she said. It was uncalled for, and even though she had been angry, she shouldn’t have lashed out at him like that. Sparks fired from the generator. It burned her fingers each time. The wires would get hot and it was difficult to touch them afterwards. Doing a generator that was under ruin such as these required skill. Unfortunately, she wasn’t very familiar with it enough to be able to work under the already stressful situation. Instead of firing quicker, they ended up going slower.

David screamed in the distance. Lailah gnawed at her lip and winced pulling her hands from the generator. Once more, David screamed. It wasn’t too long after that that she saw his aura impaled upon one of the hooks. It was far away. There was no way she would make it to him in time. She wasn’t as fast as the others who had been here longer. There was no telling where Kate was at right now. Steve—

“Keep working.” The teen got up and headed out of the house.

Lailah continued to work. She was bordering on one and two pistons. The closer that she got to the generator being completed, the hotter it got. Going in blindly with the lack of skill she had; her hands were practically on fire. Kate came up next to her.

“Have you seen who it is?” Lailah asked, grunting in pain.

“The Trapper.” Kate said and smiled at her friend. “Go on. I’ve got this.”

“I’ll try to find the hex.”

Lailah looked in the direction of the next scream that echoed through the air. Steve. Nodding at Kate, she left the generator taking a look at the blonde over her shoulder. Steve was definitely continuing to get chased. Ducking by a broken bridge and into some bamboo; she watched The Trapper chase after Steve who was holding onto his side. He slammed a pallet on top of The Trapper and ran away while the killer kicked it twice rendering it unusable. Being as stealthy as possible, she checked every nook and cranny that she could think of in order to find that hex. Loud sounds of pain came closer and closer. David was groaning while pulling at strings of a lit totem. She crouched down behind him.

“Protectin’ me, huh?” David laughed.

The generator that Kate had been working on popped. Naturally. The hex had been found just as a generator was popped. It had taken forever. But Kate was really good at doing gens.

“What can I say? I take care of my friends.” Lailah shrugged. David huffed a laugh and groaned.

“Heh. Noted.”

The hex let out a small explosion and hissing sound upon its deactivation. David looked over at a box that had been open. Kate must’ve opened it. Inside was a med-kit. He picked it up and exhaled. Without saying anything, he went into the corner and popped it open. Steve screamed out. Lailah barely had any time to look before she saw Steve’s aura hanging from a hook. Taking a look at David, she smiled before heading over towards him.

“Find Kate.” Lailah left and crept over to where he was hanging.

He looked like shit. The Trapper had really done a number on him. Taking a deep breath, she ended up pulling him from a hook. She could never get used to the sound of pulling someone off. It sounded like someone was stirring macaroni. Steve looked at her in shock for a moment before she turned to leave. Immediately pain erupted from around her ankle and she fell to her knees with a scream. Sharp jaws were latched into her skin and towards the bone. The heartbeat grew louder. Lailah pulled at the trap but they didn’t move. It was slippery, making her hands slide off.

Steve knelt next to her as the heartbeat grew louder. It was deafening. From her right, she saw The Trapper coming. He gripped onto both sides and pulled, effortlessly opening the jaws. Lailah screamed out. The trap let her go and she stood up. Just as the killer was about to smack her, Steve grabbed onto her hand and pulled her away; the attack just barely missing her. The pain in her ankle was almost unbearable, but he didn’t let her go. The heartbeat remained loud. Glancing every now and again over her shoulder, she saw that The Trapper was still following them. Lailah pulled against Steve’s hand, hoping he would understand to just let her go.

Another generator popped close by. It distracted The Trapper for a mere moment. When he swung; what would’ve hit her again hit David. Her friend gripped onto his shoulder and ran giving Lailah and Steve the perfect opportunity to leave. She was pulled into a small alcove near a corner. She wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. They stayed hidden until there was no more heartbeat. Kate screamed from the distance.

“Why did you do that?” Lailah asked.

“I couldn’t just leave you there when you’d helped me.”

“Heh. Wasn’t aware you cared.”

Steve shrugged and started looking around in the grass.  
“Found it.”

“What?” Lailah asked. Plants were in his hand, dirt still hanging off the roots. “The hell is that?”

“Plants.”

“Clearly.”

“Oh, you meant what kind.”

Lailah blinked.  
“Yeah.”

“Witch hazel and horsetail.”

“Didn’t expect you to know anything about plants.” Lailah snorted.

“I don’t. Claudette helped me.” Steve admitted and started compressing them. Instead of placing them on his own wounds, he pressed them against her ankle and took her hand and squeezed it. “Look… I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I shouldn’t have called that—Frank. I shouldn’t have called him what I did. I can only imagine how it felt when you found out.”

“…Yeah. And, I’m sorry I called you a meat bag. That was totally uncool.”

“Yeah, kinda.” Steve laughed and started collecting some plants of his own. “We cool now?”

“Mm. Yeah. We are.”

Lailah leaned against the wooden wall and waited while the plants slowed and eventually stopped the bleeding. Who knew botany knowledge would end up coming in handy in her life? Sure as hell not her. Kate screamed from a distance. Her red aura fell to the ground. A generator popped close to where Steve and her were resting. Soon, Kate was hanging from a hook. Her mouth was dry and she closed her eyes. Anything just to get the hell out of here and back to the campfire. They needed to start formulating some sort of plan. Anything. Now that they had a skeleton of a game plan, they needed to flesh it out more. Step by step. That would help them get closer to their goal. But… the ‘what if’ prodded at the back of her mind. The very real possibility that they were reaching for answers and what they thought was nowhere near the truth.

Slowly, she stood up and put some weight on her leg. The pain was still there; but it was dulled and the bleeding wouldn’t lead The Trapper right to where she was. In the distance in almost the middle of the Trial area was a generator. Waving Steve next to her; they both got on the gen while David ran and grabbed Kate off the hook. Kate ran by them; whimpering and crying. They looked at each other and both her and Steve got off the generator and went to help Kate. With shaking hands, she handed the med-kit to them. Trying to work swiftly, but quietly they managed to patch her up until she wasn’t bleeding or crying as much. Taking her back to the generator, they all began working on it. David’s scream rang through the air. Lailah instantly let go of the wires and ducked behind some bamboo. Her friend’s red aura guided her and before she knew it, she was in front of David expertly fending off The Entity’s arms. With some upper body strength that she was shocked she had, Lailah managed to pull her friend off the hook.

“Are you alright?” Lailah asked her friend.

“O’ ‘course. This ain’t nothin’.” David grunted and coughed. He looked at her sheepishly, but Lailah simply smiled. Not wanting to call him out on his bullshit, she followed David towards a corner. Looking around the patches that they were at, she ended up finding the same plants that Steve had used.

“Open your shirt.” Lailah commanded.

“Ye haven’t even taken me ta dinner first.” David said.

“Huh—Jesus David.” She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Just let me see it.”

Her friend gave a small huff of a laugh. She did exactly as she saw Steve do. She didn’t have Claudette for a teacher like Steve had so she was sure that the job wouldn’t be as good as his would be. However, David was shaking, and his head was resting against the wall. He was losing a lot of blood.

“Is e’eryone a plant fan but me?”

Lailah snorted and shook her head.  
“I learned from Steve. Just these two though.”

“Gotcha.”

“I’m going to help. Stay here.”

“Nah, I can still help.” David tried to push himself up, but she guided him back to the ground.

“Stay. Please. Get out of here if you can.”

Her and David looked at each other. Seeing that she wasn’t going to back down, he merely sighed and nodded waving her off as he panted. Whatever was going on, David looked like shit. Usually he could make jokes for days about their situation. Anything to make each other laugh and lighten the situation. Now he just looked like he was ready for death. _True_ death. Lailah felt bad for leaving him behind, but she didn’t want him to hurt anymore. One more time and he was dead.

Staying as close to the shadows as she could, Lailah ended up cringing when Steve’s red aura hung close. The heartbeat hammered in her ears. All she had to do was focus. The Trapper rounded the corner and turned to look at her just as a generator popped. He turned immediately and headed for the active gen. Lailah exhaled and swallowed the lump in her throat. Making sure to look, she grabbed Steve off the hook and ran with him behind some large rocks into a large cluster of bamboo. Lailah watched his body moving awkwardly. It reminded her of how Adam had moved in the Trial with The Plague and how she moved when she was smacked by The Oni—although not to the same degree.

“I’m alright. Go.” Steve said and leaned against the rock.

“No. I’ve got you.” Lailah placed her hands on his back. She closed her eyes, blocking out the heartbeat that was coming closer. All she had to do was focus. Her body instantly curled into itself and she fell against the rocks. Steve looked at his hands and then looked at her. “Go. Find Kate.”

“…Yeah.”

Lailah slid down the rocks. When The Trapper turned the corner, she couldn’t move. The large sawed blade came crashing down and she crumpled to the ground. He flung her over his shoulder. She whimpered when he took her to a hook. She tried to struggle, but it wasn’t anything to make a difference and she ended up going limp in his arms. She looked at the ground and tried to force away the tears that were building. She was beaten, battered, and her body was broken. The body was one thing. The spirit… it was another. Looking up, she watched Kate’s aura run to her and then stop. She backpeddled a few steps and reached for something on the ground. Whatever it was, she shoved it into her pocket and continued to grab Lailah.

“Are ya alright, Darlin’?” Kate asked, gripping onto her shoulders.

“I—”

The gate’s loud blaring was a welcome relief. The ground cracked. Endgame. The Trapper was seen in the distance. He was heading towards Lailah. One didn’t need to see behind the mask to see how angry he was. Kate pulled at Lailah and turned when The Trapper went to slash at her. Kate cried out, but she continued to pull her towards the gate. David and Steve were waving them towards the gate. The Trapper wasn’t far behind them. They turned the corner. Far from their position was the campfire burning bright and their beacon of hope and momentary peace. David was holding onto his side. They turned in and Steve pushed Kate and David forward when The Trapper slashed; protecting them. All three of them made it through the barrier, but Steve fell just before. David reached back into the Trial and grabbed Steve’s hand as The Trapper was wiping his victim’s blood off his already stained weapon. Kate grabbed onto his other one and Lailah wrapped her arms around Kate’s midsection; using her force to drag Steve through the barrier. All four were panting, but David and Kate ended up helping Steve up while Lailah helped David walk as he held up their teammate.

They passed their barrier to the campfire. All four fell to the ground. The adrenaline was dwindling, leaving them all exhausted. All the other survivors looked in shock and some looked impressed. Kate was on all fours holding onto her side. It probably had hurt a significant amount to have Lailah pull on her body right into her wound. But… they couldn’t just let Steve take the fall for all three of them. Not fun by any means, they had shared their pain and ended up surviving. After the initial shock wore up; Claudette, Quentin, and Jane rushed to help them to the campfire and began helping mend the wounds. Lailah’s eyes closed and she moaned in pain when that needle was stuck in her.

“…Kate.” Lailah said and looked at her blonde friend.

“Yeah?”

“What did you find?”

“Oh! That’s right.” Kate leaned up and reached in her pocket pulling out some crumpled up pieces of paper. “I found this on the ground.”

“More notes?” Adam asked, leaning forward.

“Here.” Kate handed them to Quentin who was bandaging her.

“I got it.” Ace took the papers. He looked at the papers and sat up. “Entry 17: The Entity is a force of darkness from an ancient place with no name. No sense of purpose other than to endlessly torture its victims over and over again. It is torture and not death it seeks as there is always an escape. Perhaps it feeds off our hope as it seems to offer it to us before dashing it cruelly at the last second. With each “death” I feel myself weaker, a little piece of my soul devoured by the darkness before I awake. I fear, eventually that I will lose hope. I wonder, then, what this dark entity will do with me then. I want to find out, but I fear the answer. Am I alone here? I believe I have seen traces of others as the beings hunt me. All I see is that soothing, flickering campfire light.”

“A piece… of his soul?” Feng Min asked. “Is that what happens when we die?”

“Where does it go? Does The Entity… eat it?” Nancy asked, hugging herself.

“The Basement: I went further than I have ever dared to before. I can not say what drove me to venture upon this journey, but as I am back at the campfire I will try to depict what I saw today. Inside one of the houses, there was a staircase leading down to this room of torture. A basement with four hooks. But not like the others that seem much more random. These four hooks are… arranged somehow. They must have a purpose. I do not know anything about this place. But it felt packed with memories of endless suffering and torture. The smell of dried blood and bowels still resides in my nostrils.” Ace read.

“…Packed with memories of endless suffering and torture.” Lailah mused.

_“Word through the grapevine is that Frank has an Obsession.”_

Was that basement the “grapevine” that Joey had talked about in the resort? When she was placed in the basement it all sounded chanting in a language she didn’t understand. Was it because she wasn’t on the same wavelength as The Entity? The killers had more of a connection so it was possible that they were able to understand the words. Did they communicate with each other through it? Just with The Entity? It made her wonder what the words were saying. Benedict Baker said it was memories of endless suffering and torture. If it was all jumbled like that, how many people were here before them, Vigo, and Benedict Baker? What had happened to them?

“Entry…: I have lost count of how many times I have penned my findings in this journal. Leafing through them provides no answers as my writings have become nonsensical. All I can do is what I have been doing since the beginning; continue forward. This world is constantly changing; and yet… nothing changes. It is a constant game of cat and mouse that we are all forced to play in. Such a significant change—one I can feel—sparked my curiosity; as embarrassing as it is to scrawl down. Even with everything I have been through, I retain the curiousness of humanity. I am unsure if this is to my benefit or if it will result in my doom.”

Lailah furrowed her brows. Ace looked at the page and looked at the back of it. His brows lifted.

“Something, or rather someone, is here now. I’ve never seen this… Shape before. A man hiding behind a mask. He comes with a determination. But more worrying, he comes with an apparent grasp of the hunt. He does not strike me as someone who even went unwillingly to this place. Is there more to this being than I can fathom?”

Laurie visibly stiffened. Lailah looked away and watched Ace as his eyes traveled down the page to more scribblings near the bottom. Michael Myers.

“This place plays tricks on your mind… constantly I question whether I dream or if I am awake. This most recent horrid ghoul seems to bridge that game—between the states of being awake or asleep. I saw him hunting another poor soul, someone who was not as lucky as me. A man with a hat and a claw clad hand, a scarred man of sorts. He spotted me and what actually happened next is still a mystery to me. Dreams took over, and I was sure to die. But I woke up. Not like in the manner where I awake at the campfire, but instead I just woke up… inside this wretched forest, with memories of nightmares within. I am now afraid to sleep, but also to stay awake.”

Quentin stopped bandaging Kate and stared at the fire for a few moments. Freddy Krueger. A strange sound; somewhere between fear and worry emanated from him.

There were many marks on the last bit of the page. They were unable to be made out. Whatever was written was crossed out either in worry or rage. Perhaps a bit of both. Near the middle, there was a another hastily written entry. One that was in a different manner of writing. The same person, but it looked desperate.

“I have… seen things. Some too horrid and gruesome to write. They have become normal. Yet, I still shudder to see them or think of them. This… is different. With this Shape and this Nightmare, the realm that I have come to understand has changed. They hunt. Silent. Deadly. Both enjoy the hunt. I have seen them ignore others for a singular survivor. It is as if these poor souls are the only ones that exist in the Trial. Anything else is in the way. It will eradicate anything in front of it. However, it is unlike anything I have seen before. They do not hunt these out of enjoyment; they hunt out of _compulsion_. The others are liabilities. The sacrifice for these survivors is a must. A drive. No… an _Obsession_. The survivors that these demons hunt are not shocked by their presence. No, they are driven by it. Driven by the thought of killing them. They have… been hunted by them outside of this realm. How cruel. This torture is on a level unlike any I have seen. They are subjugated to be the food for their nightmares over and over. Ones that they had thwarted before. With their addition, the others are in danger; more danger than ever. But perhaps the cruelest thing is that this is not the killer’s prerogative. No. The Entity chooses these for their servants. It gains more with these sacrifices. But… when it is that _one_ survivor; the hunt is unlike any other. They are connected. It was chosen by The Entity. The killers are servants. If The Entity does not receive what it requires… what happens to those that failed to deliver? I shudder to think of it…”

Lailah’s eyes widened. The Entity picked these Obsessions? The others said that the killer wasn’t _always_ Obsessed with the same survivor. However, with three killers—Michael, Freddy, and… Frank—it seemed to be always exclusive to one person. These people were connected outside of this realm. Michael and Laurie. Quentin and Freddy. Lailah… and Frank. The already strange behavior was increased tenfold if they were placed in a Trial together. What _would_ happen to those that displeased The Entity for too long? Laurie and Quentin wouldn’t be devastated in the least bit if something happened to them because of their repeated escape, but… what would happen to Frank?

_If I told Frank who I am, how would he react? If he remembered me, would it matter? Would he kill me? Continuously let me leave? What… would happen to him… if he let me live?_

_I need to see him again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Well, that was a lot of lore that I had to sift through, look up, and make up. My fingers are in desperate need of a break from that.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! As always, let me know what you think! Have a great day/night! <3


	15. Descent Into Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stop!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome back to Living Hell! Chapter 15. Whoo! A milestone! I'm sorry that it took me a little to get this chapter out. I wanted to make it the best that I could and I was having some issues with the flow of it. Once I figured it out though, I took it and ran with it and this is the finished product.
> 
> I wanted to give a quick shoutout to arkhams_misfit, vinyldamn, danikaisdead, and Nyx_Shepard (awesome name btw as I love ME too) for bookmarking this story. It means a lot to me that you'd do that for my story.
> 
> I would also love to give another shout out to Nyx_Shepard, danikaisdead, Bethany82, Neela707, DannyPhantom619, PaperJuice, That_one_smart_american, vinyldamn, GildedGhost, arkhams_misfit, gnarlybastard, FrostyBlueFox, and rUn_bich_RUNNN as well as the 40 sweet guests who left kudos on my work.
> 
> You all are EXTREMELY appreciated and loved for all the love you've shown the story. I was apprehensive to post it in the first place, so I'm glad that there are people that appreciate it.
> 
> Thank you all SO, SO much.
> 
> Well, let's get down to business!

Lailah held onto her side feeling the blood seep between her fingers; coating them and dripping down to her palm. Weakness started to set in. Pain tended to keep people awake. She pressed her palm against her bleeding shoulder. That’s what she needed. That pain. It would end up helping her escape. Iridescent red slipped through the cracks as the Trial collapsed. Bill was running by her side. A slash came from behind her and she screamed out; collapsing to the ground beneath her. Her teammate turned and looked at her. Lailah waved her hands forward, urging him to leave. The war vet looked worried and she could see the emotion of guilt cross his eyes. But, being a war vet, he knew a tactical retreat when he saw it. Trials were never predictable. Each second counted. Each second could turn into something new. Truthfully, they were running on borrowed time no matter what part of the Trial they were in.

The man with the white mask; an open-faced gasp that reminded her of a ghost straddled her from behind. Tears filled her eyes. A sharp blade dug into her back. Screams tore through her as the blade dug into her side between her ribs. Blood started to fill her mouth. With another stab, the knife’s blade crashed into her back. There was no doubt in her mind that it had nicked her spine. Screaming at the top of her lungs, the weapon was pushed deep into her back. It dug into her spine. A hand fisted into her hair and pulled her head up. A contraption that had bene explained to her as a ‘digital camera’. Her vision started to blur and she coughed expelling a large amount of blood from between her lips. The Ghostface tilted her head to look at the lens of the ‘digital camera’ and placed his face by hers. Scenery was starting to blur and become nothing but colors. The flash would’ve startled her if she wasn’t dying. The Ghostface let go of her head and her forehead hit the ground beneath her. Finally, her body let go and her vision went dark.

Dull pain throbbed at her spine when she woke up at the campfire. Coming back here after a Trial was difficult. Yes, they were healed however… the remnants of the pains linger for a little bit. That wouldn’t be too bad if it was _only_ that. After finding those papers in the Trial with The Trapper… and finding out that they were losing pieces of their souls when they died things had gotten weird. The deaths meant more and they were more terrifying. Before, it was just something that was painful and traumatizing that they’d have to deal with until they got out. Now, they were on a time limit. What if they ended up dying too many times and lost all their soul and all their hopes? What would happen? Her friends’ gazes were concerned, but she paid them no mind as she stood up and stretched her back. Pops ran up her spine making her groan in pleasurable pain. How many pieces of her soul did she have left before she was a hollow shell?

Adam, Ash, Kate, and Nea came running back through the clearing into their campfire. They were all injured in varying degrees. Ash was the worst. He must’ve been trying his hardest to keep everyone safe. While Ash wasn’t her favorite teammate; he was rather altruistic. He could flip flop almost any situation. Claudette and David tried to help bandage everyone. Nancy, Steve, Dwight, and Meg came through the campfire clearing. All of them were bleeding and limping. Since they had their breakthrough, The Entity had been creating more Trials for everyone. It was almost non-stop. Some of them were even being taken from their sleep. Well, what little sleep that they could get in this realm. Their newfound hope was like a beacon of light that alerted The Entity and called it to feed. They were more tired than ever. Sleep depravity led to stupid decisions. Stupid decisions led to getting killed. And… getting killed… meant that they were losing parts of themselves. If they _did_ end up escaping before they lost all their soul, then what would happen to them? Would they gain it back? How would it affect their life back there?

Tapp, Claudette, David, and Jake were trying to patch up everyone. It was hard to keep everyone bandaged and they were running low on supplies. Everyone needed to donate some corrupt blood and would end up using items from their Bloodweb so that they could gather a master kit. It was difficult though to keep all their corrupt blood and distribute them to benefit the group and themselves. Lailah leaned back against the log and sighed once David started to grab things from their med kit and work on Meg. Tears blurred her vision, but she ended up wiping her tears away with the palms of her hands before they could fall. They all knew the situation, but… lately it was just so hard. Timing was everything here, and she wasn’t the best at timing.

Once the initial pain and panting was done with; Nea and Dwight looked at everyone. They both looked confused and concerned. There was a large amount of emotions that were bouncing between all of them. Lailah was wondering what the hell they wanted to say. Nea ran her fingers through her hair and put her elbows on her knees. Dwight looked like he wanted to curl up, try not to cry, and then cry a lot. It was a hurricane of emotions that they needed to buckle up to deal with.

“It was someone that I’ve never seen before.” Nea said.

“Same here…” Dwight whispered.

All the survivors shared glances. Some of them looked determined; others disheartened. Others—like Lailah—stared into the abyss of the campfire wondering if by some miracle it would end up burning her alive if she just laid in it. There were already 20 killers… could they really deal with more? The quantity of Trials increasing didn’t make things any easier. There was no getting out of here. The hope that had been bubbling up from their wonderful finds was ebbing away like a river. A hand ran down her face trying to bring her back to the present and try to think of their next move. They needed some sort of lucky break now. With two new killers… anything could happen.

“Describe them.” Tapp said.

Knowing all the information about the killers and what they looked like; anything that could be observed in the Trials would be amazing to know. Information was key. Information would be the reason that they could live to see another Trial without losing a piece of their soul.

“Ours was a woman.” Nea said. “She… had a mask on. It was like sewn together with these strange pins.”

“Ours had a skull mask.” Dwight said and looked at Lailah. “It reminded us of… how you described Frank’s friends.”

Lailah huffed a laugh. Relief washed through her; crashing against her like a wave. It was a relief to know that there weren’t any new killers.  
“Yeah. Susie and Joey.”

Susie and Joey must not be called for Trials too often. All four Trials had been a complete failure for both of them. Frank and Julie though… they were brutal. Julie especially. What would Frank do once she told him about who she was? How would he react? Would he remember them together at all? This realm was something that she couldn’t describe. It was a place where nothing was true; everything was permitted by The Entity. What little bit was created and used by someone else was blocked off and contained by The Entity. Benedict Baker couldn’t even leave his library or the Auris without being found. There was no telling what the hell would happen to him then? Whatever torture that she could come up with would pale in comparison to what would actually be done to him she was sure.

The forest was as dark and deep as it always was. No matter how much she stared at it; she couldn’t see anything other than the very superficial layer. Was it just a fluke that she had been able to go into The Killer’s realm? Well, The Legion’s specifically. Could she get into the others? Going to Frank’s realm was lucky. If she were to return, how would he react? If she didn’t run into him… then there was a chance that she would run into the others. That would end up in her death. There was no question. Could Lailah just wait until she was in a Trial with Frank though? There was no telling how long that would take. Pitting her against all these other killers was feeding The Entity, but Benedict Baker said that putting the Obsession and obsessor together in a Trial and having the Obsession murdered would end up providing more food for the being. So… why didn’t he do it more often? All she could do was chalk it up to something else that she didn’t understand about this place.

“Don’t you think that you should somehow talk to Frank?” Nancy asked.

“I’m debating on even telling him now, if I’m being honest.”

“What? Wouldn’t that help us? It could help him come to our side.” Nancy chimed in.

Lailah couldn’t help but scoff.  
“The Frank I knew wouldn’t even be here to begin with… so there’s no telling what this version is capable of. He may target you guys more than he already is. He may come after me more than he already is.”

“But—” Adam began and sat forward.

“We’re already having a problem with trying to keep our fragmented souls where they’re supposed to be. Provoking the killers wouldn’t be in our best interest. I’m not going to put you guys in danger over some ‘what if’. Especially when the person ties into me directly.”

“Don’t really think ‘hat’s fully yer decision to be makin’.” David sighed and closed the med kit.

“If there’s a chance of it helpin’ us, I say go for it.” Kate encouraged.

They were all on her side. But… there was something about it that made it so she couldn’t. How was she supposed to walk up to Frank and look at him dead in his… brown eyes… and just tell him that she’s the friend he made 14 years ago in an orphanage? What did they expect him to do? Put down his knife and follow her to the campfire? Would that even be a _thing_? The Entity had made it explicitly clear that she was a Survivor and he was a Killer. There was no intermingling sides. The only time that they would meet—assuming she was unable to willingly travel to his side of the realm—was in a Trial. And for that, it was random. If The Entity could pick up on their desires, perhaps there was a way that she would be able to somewhat coax it into putting her together with Frank. That would be just step one however. No matter how she thought about it, nothing would come out of how she would end up telling him the truth. Perhaps, in the long run it would be best that he didn’t know. If The Entity had him under its control, what would it do if Frank ended up fighting back? Smash him into oblivion? Then _she_ would be responsible for her friend being disintegrated into cosmic dust and spread across the Four Winds. It would only give Julie more of a reason to want her dead as well.

“I just… I can’t.” Lailah sighed and looked at her hands.

Fog swirled around her, Laurie, Tapp, and Feng’s feet. Lailah tilted her head back and sighed. The cold stabbing pain of the fog’s transport felt extra cold this time. Was there some reason that it was getting colder? Or was it just her own body shutting down from all the Trials? If it _was_ her body shutting down, she hoped that it would happen quick. Death would be amazing at this point. Their souls were in danger, time was counting down, they had no ideas how to find this flower—or even if that will work, and they were being sucked dry of all their hope and drive with each passing moment. Lailah was so tired. So, _so_ tired. The Entity would never allow them rest though. Push them until they break. That’s all it wanted. Only to have them replaced by more. It was drawn to places with violence and anger. It was drawn to ignorance at believing human lives were at the top of the food chain; that nothing could bring humanity down. It thrived off that ignorance. Perhaps just as much as it loved to devour hope; it liked to play with ignorance.

Once the fog cleared, Lailah’s heart dropped into her stomach. Snowflakes fell onto the blanket beneath. Her fear was visible from the shaking wisps between her lips. She hated this place. Almost any place was better than here. Léry’s Memorial Institute. She walked into the lobby, hiding behind some of the chairs. The flickering light terrified her. There were two things that always seemed to be prominent in a horror situation; an abandoned hospital and an abandoned theme park. They had the wonderful luck of having both. Well, it was more of a circus than an actual amusement park, but still. Almost just as terrifying. With the large rooms and stone walls and floors; footsteps echoed no matter where you were. It didn’t matter, there was really no hiding well from a killer that had good hearing. Past the reception desk. Down one of the large halls. From the broken ceiling, snowflakes fell to make piles inside. Lailah hated hospitals.

A loud scream rang out. Lailah ducked into a patch of grass and brushed some hair from her face. How close? The killer’s heartbeat was soft, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. The Killers were enhanced evil beings from different parts of time. Whatever abilities they had out there were amplified here. Not to mention that they all had a connection with The Entity. For its servants, it shared some of its powers to give them even more abilities. They truly were at a disadvantage no matter what. Working together to outsmart the killer was easier than it sounded. Lailah scanned around for an aura. There was none. What? Another scream. Another. Far in the distance, she was able to see her friends’ auras pop up for a mere moment, contorted in a strange position of fear.

A chill deeper than any snow she was surrounded with sank into her. This Trial had just got a hell of a lot harder. Finding generators was a must. _Now_! Léry’s Memorial Institute was notorious among their group for having all the generators spread out in locations that were almost always out in the open. Swallowing a lump forming in her dry throat, she ignored her friend’s screaming and headed the opposite direction from the killer’s heartbeat. In the center room, right by a hook, she knelt and started on a generator. Her friend screamed again and Lailah watched Laurie’s aura fall to the ground. Her hands were shaking, the tremors only increasing when her friend was impaled on a hook. Tears burned her eyes, but she clenched her jaw and continued to work. Breaking down in this demented hospital would only make things easier for the Killer.

Lailah looked around and saw the auras of her friends and Laurie’s. Tapp and Feng looked around. She simply nodded. They were closer than she was to Laurie. If she left right now, this gen wouldn’t get completed and there was no telling what the hell would happen. Feng pointed to herself and then Laurie. Everyone understanding made things easier. Venturing into potentially dangerous areas in order to save one was what made them all strong. Kindred spirts in a way. Lailah watched Tapp head away while Feng went closer. Sweat beaded on her hairline. Funny in a way that even in subzero temperatures such as Léry’s she could end up sweating. Lailah quickly wiped away the sweat on her shoulder and exhaled. The heartbeat started to close in; faster. Harder. But the pistons were firing just as fast. All she needed was a few more moments. That’s all.

The ground beneath her charged and she let out a whimper. As the lights for the generator lit up, a scream ripped through her. From beyond a window, she watched him turn around. His mouth and eyes pried open. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth making his slightly yellowed teeth glisten in the dim lights. Lailah scrambled out of the room. The woman on the TV that had turned on behind her screamed as well. With everything she was, she willed her body to contain itself. To not scream. Electricity coursed through her veins as she turned a corner making her scream again. Desperate to escape the electricity. Desperate to escape the electricity, she slammed into a wall as she misjudged the door and ricocheted off both sides until she reached the hallway. That spiked instrument sliced into her back; sparks cracking against her skin. It propelled her forward as she cried.

Those voices. They thundered in her ears. Drumming. Prodding. Poking inside her eardrum. It wiggled deep inside the canal. Whispering. Taunting. Lailah screamed again and hugged to herself. That pallet! Get there. The voices encouraged. That’s what it sounded like. Was that just hopeful? The pallet disappeared just as she touched the wood. That _wiggling_ in her ears tickled. He laughed. It was like whispers in her ear. Her vision changed. Bodies littered the rooms. Blood. She ran. Ran from what? Was something chasing her? There had to be someone in those bodies. In those bloodied rooms… someone would help. There were bodies than she thought. They were scattered. Some over the others. Others hanging off the beds. All with those expressions. They were all wide and hollow in horror. Some of their eyes were missing. Blood flooded from those sockets. Lailah tripped over a body. Her mother. Another. Her father. Another. Herself. Another. Frank lay there. His eyes were missing. His chest was ripped open. Lailah screamed and turned. There he was. His peeled back eyes boring into her soul. He slapped his instrument of torture against his palm. Sweat stuck her hair to her face. The Doctor laughed and she watched him disappear. The heartbeat was so loud. _So loud_! There had to be some escape. Was escape an option? A strange sound in the distance. A generator! Her vision cleared. The bodies were gone. Yes. Escape. That was possible. Keep her sanity and continue forward. The heartbeat thundered in her ears. Her first priority was to get out of where she was. Turning around with her plan, she was met with nothing but a pain which sent her collapsed to the floor.

Lailah looked around and saw that Tapp and Laurie were on a generator. Feng was crouched behind something. The Doctor stared down at her as he shook some blood from his weapon. Bits of her flesh were still impaled on the spikes. Sparks charged against his palm and the ground around her was enveloped with them. They gripped onto her, seared into her skin. It burned. Pain. It was like fire. She screamed out and curled into herself. Involuntary convulsions overtook her. She had seen it happen to some of her friends. It was usually when someone was overcharged with The Doctor’s shock therapy. It left them completely vulnerable. He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder and carried her to a hook; slamming her on it with no care in the world. What normally would’ve been cries of pain were whimpers of agony. The world changed around her and she watched The Doctor; now donned in a bloody lab coat head away from her. Then he was back. But he was just standing there. It laughed and then disappeared. Tears fell from her eyes and she ended up closing her eyes. It was easier to do that and escape. The illusions around her were still screaming and laughing, but she had to ignore it. There would be no way that she would retain her sanity if she didn’t. With a constantly changing world; from dark to gruesome, anyone could lose their mind.

Hands gripped onto her and Lailah’s eyes darted open. Feng had a finger over her mouth. Lailah coughed and groaned when she was pulled off the hook. Her friend came closer and as soon as she was touched, she screamed out again. Feng was standing with her throat slit, a waterfall of blood leaving the wound. It was slit so deep that she could see the inner workings of the throat. The somehow still functioning Feng Min tried to touch her again, but Lailah smacked her away and started to run. The monster that was wearing Feng’s skin followed after.

“It’s an illusion. Snap out of it!” Feng gurgled; blood sputtering out when it talked.

An… illusion? That same sound from before came from close by. It cleared her vision for a moment. Feng was standing by her, completely normal other than the concerned look on her face. Lailah crouched down and held onto her head. Snap out of it. Right. Focus. She grabbed fistfuls of her hair and tried to focus. So many sounds of pain and torture flew through her brain and assaulted her ears. In this place, it was difficult to tell what was true and what was false. So much pain. So much torture. So many tears. So many pleadings for death. The more she focused, the easier it became to tell what was real and what was fake. The words stopped. The screaming stopped. The crackling stopped. The feelings of hands on her stopped. Everything. When she opened her eyes, she looked around. Feng looked relieved. And normal. Lailah looked at her friend and nodded. While she wasn’t completely normal, Lailah was able to tell where she was and what was happening.

Exhaling and looking down at her shaking hands, she clenched them together. Another generator popped in the distance. A friend was slammed on a hook and she watched Tapp hanging. Lailah was still bleeding, but she didn’t want to group up. Especially for someone like The Doctor, it could be dangerous. Lethal even. She exhaled and held onto her side before heading towards Tapp. Close by, another generator popped. She was okay. They could do this. Share the pain and they could all get out. Trying not to think about the trail of blood that was leading The Doctor right to her, a hand grabbed onto her wrist. Laurie had a finger over her lips and pulled her into a room.

“Hide. I’ll go after him.” She instructed.

“You’re injured and you’re on the brink of losing it. Listen to me.” Laurie forced Lailah to her knees and shoved her underneath a bed in a corner. It was the most inconspicuous place that was close to them.

Lailah held onto her side and kept the other hand on her mouth to shut up her whimpers. His shock therapy would give her away with no problem. But… she needed to keep quiet so he didn’t have reason to suspect that she would be in this room. This place was terrible. He was terrible. Lailah hated it. Hated him. This realm was already making things difficult on what to distinguish between dreams and reality. She didn’t need someone else making it harder. Her friends were taking care of her again. There had to be something that she could do in order to make things easier for her friends. Giving herself up was a no go. That would only make things harder with being down a person. The heartbeat made her own freeze. He was close. Lailah felt tears fall down her face when she saw his feet coming closer to the bed. If he looked under, she was done for. There was no way she could back out. It was in a corner. Had Laurie’s good intentions been her doom? Her own heartbeat was slamming around in her body just as his was waiting for the chance to kill another survivor. The loud blare came from the exit gates and Lailah heard The Doctor make a strange grunting sound before he left the room. A loud sigh escaped her lips. She was almost on the brink of hyperventilation when Laurie came and retrieved her. Lailah’s eyes widened when Feng’s aura was plucked right off what she assumed was the exit gate. She stood up and looked at her friend.

“Go get her. I’ll open the gate and meet you by the barrier.” Lailah instructed.

“Are you sure?”

“Hurry! We don’t have much time.”

“… Right.”

Lailah ran towards where she recalled Feng’s aura being. A bulb was lit. She wiped her hands on her dirty pants and she grabbed onto the handle, holding it down. She gnawed onto her lip as she watched Feng Min’s aura punching and kicking. A large sound like metal clanking against stone resonated against the walls. From the way Feng’s aura was turning, it looked like The Doctor was turning around desperately trying to hit something. Two bulbs were lit up. Why did it take so damn long for this gate to open!? Another clank against stone sounded. The Doctor made a strange sound. Feng has escaped. All three rounded the corner towards her. Their killer was now angrier than ever. He charged some sparks. Three bulbs lit up. The sparks jolted her, but she forced her other hand on top of the other making sure she remained on the handle. It blared. The gate was open. Laurie was hit and she screamed as they ran through the sparks. Lailah pulled Feng and Laurie inside. The Doctor tried to go around, but he was interrupted by Tapp who had become their shield.

All three passed through the barrier. Looking over her shoulder, she watched The Doctor attempt to hit them one final time, but it ricocheted off their safety barrier. He made a sound of displeasure, which brought a feeling of victory to her. When they were trudging through the fog back to their campfire and friends, her world started to clear and become crisper. With every step she was being pulled back into their reality, no matter how difficult and painful the reality was. It was better than being stuck in that illusion back with The Doctor. Her friends and her all shared a half victory smile and an exhale of relief. Another Trial done. They had all managed to stay alive and keep parts of their souls. How many times had they went through these Trials? How many more times would they have to do this before they were free? If she knew that… it would make things so much easier. They would have a light at the end of their tunnel, but even as their existence here; nothing was certain.

All of their friends looked bright and relieved when the four of them returned. During their walk back, Feng had become weaker and had to be held up. Even though she had been thought a lot herself, Lailah wanted to make sure that her friend didn’t hit the ground. They had just won after all. Her and Tapp lowered Feng onto the ground beside Quentin. Lailah groaned and plopped down by David, holding her side. Quentin started to work quickly on Feng. She thought that she was the one that had gotten it worse, but watching the wounds that were bleeding from Feng, she couldn’t help but wonder why The Doctor sent Lailah into an illusionary frenzy, but ended up practically mutilating Feng Min.

“He wanted my ass so bad.” Feng Min huffed a laugh as she pulled up her shirt to give Quentin more room.

“Well, he didn’t get it and that’s the most important thing.” Claudette said, handing Quentin the tools that he needed. “Who was it?”

“The Doctor.”

“Ew.” Nancy mumbled. “His face freaks me out.”

“I don’t think it’s supposed to attract you.” Lailah laughed and held her side with a grunt.

“Keep on laughin’ ‘n’ your gon’ end up hurtin’ yourself more.” David sighed and took one of those syringes. “’ow are ya always the one t’at comes back ‘n’ ya’ve yourself so many wounds? Ya like runnin’ into weapons?”

Lailah looked over at David and saw his brows all furrowed.  
“Oh yeah, David. It’s my favorite thing to do.”

“Pick yerself ‘nother fav’rite thin’ to do.”

“You’re going to get more wrinkles between your eyebrows.”

“Be’ter to ‘ave ‘em and be alive, then to not ‘ave ‘em ‘n’ be dead.”

“Look David, I—”

Fog swirled around her legs again. What?! Again?! Right now?! A bitter laugh escaped her lips and she shook her head. What had she done to piss this thing off? Her friends looked worried too, but they had no choice but to watch as she was dragged off. It had happened so fast and Lailah had found it so humorlessly hilarious that she hadn’t even had time to look. The fog’s chill dug into her wounds making her wince. She sighed and looked around at where she had ended up. The forest. A large pain shot through her chest, making her grip onto it. Were heart attacks even possible here? Just as soon as it came, the pain disappeared as if it was never there leaving her huffing alone in the rain. The rain continued to pour. It wiped away the blood and dirt that was on her body; but it left her colder than she had been before. Each time that she had come here, it was always raining. Was there a time that it didn’t? Or were they each pockets of memories that held Trials, but never really moved. That would take some sort of strong magic. For time to continue as well as simultaneously stop. As much as she feared The Entity, she also marveled at its abilities. If they could just harness those, then there would be no need for this anymore. First thing’s first though, she had to get through this Trial.

Lailah looked around and slowly made her way to where she could see the lights of a generator in the distance. While her wound had stopped bleeding thanks to David using that syringe on her, it was still open. She stopped at the side of the generator and knelt beside it with a grunt. Her hand flew to her side. It was still in pain. The piston started firing but trying to use one hand was a mistake. The generator exploded and sent sparks her way. With a loud grunt, she pushed herself up off the wet ground. She would be no help with an open wound like this. The first thing she should be worried about was generators, but if she kept backfiring them, she would end up being more of a hinderance than an actual help. There had to be chests around here somewhere. Lailah could only hope that she ended up finding a med kit in one. It had been a long time since she’d actually let the corrupt blood flow from her veins. She couldn’t worry about that right now. Making sure to look around, she headed to the log cabin a fair distance away from her. The interior was the same as it always was. The basement was in there. Lailah cleared her throat and looked around and then at the entrance to the basement. She needed a chest. A med kit. Chests always appeared in the basement. High risk for high reward. Avoiding the basement was the best strategy usually… but she needed the chance of that med kit. Besides… she didn’t have heartbeat right now.

Swallowing the bile coating her tongue, she took the steps towards the innards of the basement. It smelled putrid. Like blood and bowels just as Baker had said. No matter how many times she came here, there was no getting used to that smell. The groanings and creaking of the voices in the walls and floors didn’t help. Spending too much time here would cause one that had somehow held onto their sanity go insane. It was too close to The Entity. In the corner was a chest. Limping the best she could, she opened the heavy lid and sorted through the items at the bottom. Her wound started to bleed again. It started to ache, almost as if The Entity was begging for the blood to flow. It made her nauseous to think it was calling for her blood. Lailah finally reached the bottom and she let out a sound of surprise. It worked! A med kit! Tears of relief filled her eyes. The heartbeat came quick. Fast. Loud. Angry. A whimper came from above. Hurried footsteps. Lailah took her med kit and hid in a locker. David came running down the stairs, grunting and huffing. In his right hand was a med kit. She watched as he began to bandage himself. His hands were shaking. The heartbeat was close, but it wasn’t drumming in her ears. David was in no condition to be healing himself. Whoever the killer was on a hunt for David, so if the killer _did_ find David, then he needed to be able to take more hits.

Making sure to be slow, she exited the locker and felt sharp pains prick her body making her scream out. David and her locked eye contact. Both had a look of terror, but Lailah’s was laced with apology. There had been to need for her to scream out, but she had been forced to. The pain had just taken her by surprise. The heartbeat was getting louder. She had just given away their positions. Lailah took David’s wrist and pulled him to a locker and put him into the locker. Her heart was just as loud as the killer’s. She would be able to distract them. She put a finger over her lips and ran up the stairs. Lailah had barely rounded the corner when she felt a blade dig into her collarbone. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw The Legion standing over her. Specifically… Frank. Lailah grunted when he squatted in front of her, leisurely twirling his knife between his fingers.

“Well, well, well.” Frank said. “What do we have here?”

“…” There were many things that Lailah wanted to say, but she couldn’t find the words. Her body was searing with pain. It felt like she was on fire.

Two generators popped almost simultaneously.

“Be with you in a second, Dollface.” Frank moved his mask to lick her blood off his blade again; standing up as he did so. “I got something else to take care of.”

Frank replaced his mask with a strange laugh. With a small strut to his step, he walked over to the lockers. A deep sigh left him and he opened the locker where David was. Her friend let out a sound of surprise. Without any warning or issue, Frank picked him up and thrust him on the back hook in the basement. Lailah covered her ears when David screamed. The basement was so small and closed together it was like a large megaphone. Using what strength she had, she pulled herself up the stairs. A groan left her lips as Frank came over to her and picked her up, bumping her up onto his shoulder. He started to walk and Lailah punched and kicked her way. While Frank was clearly strong, he was still human. Lithe. Toned. Her movements were sending him wavering back and forth. Just as his hold was starting to falter, he stopped and tilted his head back. He let her go, making her flop to the ground with a thud and a loud grunt.

“Stay there.” Frank said; sounding almost bored. “I have some things to take care of.”

Frank left her, jogging back towards the basement. Lailah tried to push herself up, but her body was so tired. From all these trials and the soil that was seeping into her wound. If she died right here, she really wouldn’t mind. Her forehead was resting in the dirt with her eyes closed. The hurried footsteps coming to her did nothing. They didn’t terrify her. They didn’t make her eyes open. Exhaustion was truly setting in; not the small exhaustion that would overcome them from using a certain latent ability they had. Only when the footsteps stopped by her and she heard breath coming from beside her did she open her eyes and look over.

_Jeff…_

“Good. Good. You’re still alive.” Jeff said and helped her up. Her body hurt and ached from wounds new and old. “Come on. I’ve got you.”

Lailah nodded and let Jeff lead her towards a safer spot. She put pressure against her collarbone hoping to keep it from bleeding. He had taken her med kit once they were safe. The styptic agent hurt as it was dumped onto her wounds. David’s aura was gone and she rested her head against a slick rock. Jeff said nothing as he worked, but she could tell from his facial expressions that she looked terrible. Horrible even. His work was quick but precise. He hadn’t been there too long—that she knew for sure—but, he must’ve been a quick learner. She would have to learn quick as well.

“We have to get out of here fast.” Lailah said.

“Who is it?”

“Frank…”

“We need to find Jane.”

Another generator popped in the distance. One good thing about Frank’s strange obsession with her was that they were able to get generators done rather speedy. But… if he was coming after her and her friends were in the way then she’d be the reason for their deaths. He would stop at _nothing_ to get to her. It terrified her. He was nothing like this before.

“Found you.” A muffled sing song voice came from behind them.

Lailah screamed out when she saw Frank come from behind a tree and hunch over; stabbing both Jeff and her. To her horror, as Lailah and Jeff scrambled in different directions he immediately went to her friend and stabbed him again. He groaned in pain and looked at his hands again. When he was like that, is was so strange. The way he struck them and ran away was like a frenzy. It reminded her of a feral animal. A feral frenzy. Whimpering, Lailah went and grabbed her med kit and started to mend herself the best she was able while Frank’s beating heart was slamming in her ears making it hard to think. Jeff’s aura was downed. Within no time, he was taken to a hook close to her. He was slammed on it so hard she was worried it would rip through her friend. Before Jeff could even scream, Frank slashed at him again. Again. Again. Each time Frank let out a strange sound. It was almost something between a whimper and a laugh. By the time her ex best friend was done with slashing at Jeff blood was dripping like a river off his knife.

“… Didn’t your mother ever teach you to not touch things that aren’t yours?” Frank huffed; his voice laced with pure rage. All Jeff could manage was a gurgled huff. “You’ll learn… you _all_ will.”

Frank turned around and took a few steps; staggering a bit. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder to Jeff on the hook and gave another bitter laugh before jogging off in a different direction. Lailah waited until Frank’s heartbeat was completely gone before she went and grabbed Jeff off the hook. He collapsed into her almost immediately. Someone once close to her had done this. Even though she was not the one that had dug the knife into Jeff, she couldn’t help but feel responsible. It always came to this with Frank. She would end up trying to keep her friends in the fight while she was avoided. She could be doing gens and bringing the Trial to a close quicker, but… she couldn’t just watch them bleed to whatever state was before their not permanent death. Working as quickly as her shaking hands were able, she cleaned and bandaged Jeff. Each time that Frank’s heartbeat would end up starting up again, she would drag Jeff away to a different spot. There was no telling what Frank would do if he saw this.

_“Didn’t your mother ever teach you to not touch things that aren’t yours?”_

Lailah shook her head and helped Jeff up when he was all bandaged. They snuck around the cabin and found another generator. Both of them got on it and she started to work on the frayed wires. Keeping an eye out, she cringed when Jane screamed out. Not too soon after, her aura was revealed and she was slammed on a hook. They were too far away to go for Jane. All she could hope for was that Frank wouldn’t come for them and would leave Jane alone long enough for David to go in for the save. Almost at once, Jane’s aura disappeared as the gen popped. Jeff and Lailah ran from the gen. Just one more. That’s all they needed was to find _one_ more gen. Frank needed to be distracted enough for one more generator. If Jane could be bandaged and the other three could get on a gen; this would work out in their favor. Getting all four of them together for that plan was the hardest part. Frank was an expert in keeping them all separated. The heartbeat began again and Jane ran past them crying out as she held onto her shoulder. Jeff and Lailah ducked into a small alcove as Frank came closer, his panting so close. Without a second thought, she ran out in front of Frank and shoved all her force against him, making him stagger backwards. Jeff took the hint and grabbed the pallet that was there and slammed it onto her once friend. Listening to him grunt and let out an angry growl hurt her. Hurting Frank was the last thing that she wanted to do, but… this wasn’t him. This was just a monster with his skin. Telling him wouldn’t matter. He took his leg and slammed the pallet with it. Jeff grabbed onto her wrist and tugged her. She took another look at her friend before turning to leave.

For whatever reason, they seemed to confuse Frank. The three of them running around in different directions and his possible concussion—could they even get those?—made him lose them. Lailah gnawed at her lip when her and Jeff caught up with Jane. Thankfully, David was there as well. Whatever good luck they were having was not going to be wasted. They ran over to her friends and between David and her med kit Jane was quieted. The four of them dipped into a small alcove. Close by, she heard a generator that sounded almost done. Frank was close as well. Peeking from their spot, she watched him kick the generator and shake his head. It must’ve been hurting… _he_ must’ve been hurting. Lailah shook her head. It wasn’t him. It may be genetically him, but… that wasn’t Frank. When the heartbeat was gone, Lailah looked at her friends.

“’ow are—”

“Listen. I have a plan. This generator is almost done. I’m going to be a distraction—”

“Lailah—”

“Ya ain’t gon’ give yourself up for us.”

“You’re right.” Lailah nodded. “All three of you get on that generator. It’ll be done in no time. I’ll pretend that I don’t know where Frank is and get him to chase me. Get to an exit gate and I’ll meet you there.”

“This is a risky plan…” Jane said. “He’s acting strange.”

“I’ve noticed. But… this will work.”

“’ow d’ya know ‘hat for sure?” David asked, clearly getting aggravated.

“We don’t, but we could’ve already been on the generator by now. C’mon. We have to trust each other.” Jeff said and looked at Lailah. “We’re counting on you.”

Lailah smiled softly and nodded.  
“Once I get Frank’s attention, do _not_ stop working on that generator. No matter what.”

“…Alright.” Jane nodded.

“Deal.”

“…” David grunted.

Lailah took a deep breath before she headed out into the forest. Steeling herself the best she was able, she jogged around listening for Frank’s heartbeat. By the time she ended up finding it, it sounded… strange. Off. There was a strange thumping; almost like it was skipping a few beats. She ended up bringing it into view. There was a generator that he was standing in front of. He was just… repeatedly kicking it. The sparks were flying and the pistons ended up depleting until is was still once more. But… he didn’t stop. Once Lailah crouched and tried to “sneak” past him, did he stop. His head lifted and he ended up coming after her at once.

“There you are!”

 _Pretend to be afraid. Do_ not _let him catch me._

A strange laugh came from behind him. In all her Trials, Lailah tried to avoid vaulting unless it was absolutely necessary. It was one of her weaknesses. During chases wasn’t exactly the best time to be practicing it either. But right now, she had no choice. For this plan to work, she had to prolong this chase as long as possible. Cover as much ground as possible. Taking a deep breath and bracing for the worst, she vaulted over an opening. The tip of her shoe barely caught. While it made her stagger slightly, she didn’t fall as she had done before. Frank’s panting came from behind her and she managed to press herself from the rock she had fallen to just in time for his blade to ricochet off it. That feral frenzy came to an end with a grunt. It would always take him a few seconds for him to recover. Taking that opportunity, she dipped in and out between trees bumping into some. Each second, she begged her friends to hurry up. A dark laugh came from behind her.

“Run as much as you want, Dollface. I _will_ catch you.” Frank’s determination was more fierce than she had ever seen. His bloodlust the highest she had ever witnessed.

The last generator popped and the exit gates blared. Frank staggered slightly and screamed. It was full of pure rage. If it was possible, his eyes probably would’ve turned red. Would he kill her? She hoped so. If it meant that her friends would even have a little more time; soul fragment or not… she would give it up to make sure they were okay. Lailah sprinted; sweat dripping down her face and her legs burning. At a gate she saw Jane opening the gate. David was on one side of her. Jeff was on the other. They were protecting her with everything that they were. Two bulbs were lit on the gate. Frank pushed past Lailah almost making her fall to the ground. He practically sprinted towards her friends. His blade sunk into Jeff; immediately making him crumple to the ground.

Lailah stopped in her tracks and grabbed onto her chest. All the air was taken from her lungs and she had to rest on one of the trees to gain some breath. It hurt; like needles stabbing into her heart and lungs. David had placed his hands on either side of Jane, but another slash to her friend and David crumpled to the ground. Jane was next. All three of her friends were on the ground. Frank kicked David to the side and headed for her. With the pain in her chest it was hard for her to move and her legs burned. A second pause was a second too long and she was on the ground just like her friends. Frank huffed and turned away from her.

“No one escapes death.” He whispers, wiping both sides of his blade on his wrist. “Not with me.”

Lailah crawled over to her friends and watched as Frank picked up Jane.  
“Stop!” She screamed. “Please!”

Frank stopped and looked over at Lailah on the ground.  
“Smartasses get killed. We always see to that.”

Jane’s scream permeated the air. Lailah felt like vomiting. This was her plan. She hadn’t taken into account the thought of him being gifted with a hex. The Entity wanted them all dead. More than normal. Was this Frank’s plan from the beginning? Had he lured them all to their demise? Was her plan the reason that they were all in this situation. Frank picked David up and huffed when he tried to struggle.

“There’s no getting out of this now. We’re too good at it.”

Frank’s voice was so different now. Monotonous. Iron. _Evil_. It was like he wasn’t even speaking. Almost like the words were just being formed on their own without anyone willing to speak. David was slammed on a hook more violent than Jeff had been. Jeff had been trying to crawl away and Lailah had been trying to crawl to him, but the pain was just coursing through her. Frank grabbed onto Jeff and huffed another laugh. There was no humor to it.

“This is no place for cowards.”

Jeff was slammed on a hook and Lailah had no choice but to lay there and listen to her friend’s grunts as they tried to fend off The Entity for as long as they were able. It didn’t matter. Ultimately, they would die. Frank had won. Tears fell from her eyes and she fisted the wet grass. Three shockwaves shook the Trial and Lailah covered her ears and hung her head like she was preparing herself for a tornado. There was no telling if the liquid on her face was tears or water; but she was sure it was both. Footsteps stopped next to her and a boot tapped her shoulder and turned her over. He stood over her looking down at her with that mask and his blade twirling between dirty fingers. Tears gathered in her eyes and she couldn’t stop them from flowing. His head tilted to the side and he straddled her.

The tears wouldn’t stop no matter how hard she tried. Frank’s fingers touched her cheek making her involuntarily cringe away from his surprisingly gentle touch. There were so many things that she wanted to scream. She wanted to tell him to not touch her. To kick him. To throw something at him, but all she could do was cry. She felt so useless and so defeated. His head tilted again and he rubbed his fingers together with her tears and rain between them. He looked at the clear liquid and snapped his head to look at her, making her flinch.

“Why are you crying?” Frank asked. His voice sounded truly confused.

“W-What?!” Lailah’s rage flared. “You killed my friends!”

“…”

Lailah couldn’t believe it. There was no denial. Even if he did, there was no point. Lailah was there. He was the killer. He had done his job and rid the Trial of her friends. All that was left was her. With him. Her and him. Them together. As always. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why was he just staring at her?! Anger. Confusion. A plethora of emotions flooded her and ebbed and flowed. It was overwhelming to feel so many things at one time. She hated this. Hated him. There had to be some way to get him to kill her. To just escape this situation in general. But just looking at him filled her with so much rage she was sure that she wouldn’t fail at killing him now if she was able to get that knife from him. Lailah quickly reached to take his knife. A single fluid strike and this would be fine. Frank caught her hand with no issue. His attention turned from her face to her hand. His thumb ducked underneath the bottom of his mask and it was ripped off and thrown to the side.

Frank’s dark brown eyes were staring at her hand in an expression that she couldn’t describe. Slowly, he brought her hand to his face and forced it to caress his cheek. Lailah swallowed the lump in her throat that continued to grow as he moved her hand along his jawline all the while looking at her. She wanted to get out of there. Now. But she couldn’t move. He dragged her palm down to his lips where her hand remained. At no point did Frank break eye contact. Lailah didn’t either. She couldn’t. He brushed his lips along her palm and the sides of her hand. His thumb dug into her wrist where her pulse was and he instantly stopped. For a second, she was sure that he was going to kill her or slice her wrist, but he did something even stranger. Frank guided her hand along his jawline, down the side of his neck, and down to his chest. Through his jacket, she could feel the fast beating of his heart. Lailah tried to pull her hand away. This was weird. It made her feel… strange, but he didn’t let her.

Slowly, he moved down until their lips were a mere breath apart. He moved them along her cheek and to her jawline. Against the skin of her neck, she felt an intake of breath. Lailah’s brows furrowed. Had Frank just sniffed her neck? She had no time to worry or question as a sharp pain dug into her neck. Lailah tried to pull away from him, but he grabbed onto each wrist and dug deeper into her flesh. Lailah screamed and cried. The pain felt like it went on forever, but it eventually stopped. Frank pulled back and Lailah’s eyes widened. His lips were coated red with her blood and between the huffs of breath, she could see the red on his teeth. His tongue glided against his lips lapping up every drop that was there. It felt wrong. Perverse. Lailah felt so vulnerable. Even though she was fully clothed, she felt completely naked. He went back to her neck and she couldn’t help but stiffen and clench her fists, bracing for the pain again. Frank simply huffed a laugh, his hot breath tickling her neck. A just as hot tongue glided across the skin of her neck. Even though her neck was soaked from the rain she could distinctly tell the difference between the rain and the saliva that was on her skin. Frank pulled back and smirked; another strange laugh coming from him. His eyes were strange as well. Everything about him and this situation was weird.

“…” Lailah wanted to ask why he did that. She also wanted to beg for him to let her go. While at the same time, Lailah wanted to beg for death.

“Yeah… That’s good.” Lailah wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or himself. She didn’t care.

Frank unpinned her but picked her up. Lailah wanted to struggle, but she couldn’t do anything but cry. The strange whirring of the hatch made her eyes open. Without a word, Frank dropped Lailah onto the hatch. Tears gathered in her eyes.

“Please… kill me.” Lailah begged.

“Get in before I shove you in.”

“…”

Crying, she couldn’t move. True to his word, Frank took his boot and shoved it harshly against her body and forced her in the hatch.

The second Lailah returned to the campfire with her friends, she had broken down. It was hard telling how long she had been comforted. It felt like forever and yet it also felt like a mere second. Unable to tell her friends what had shaken her so hard, they had no choice but to wait until she was calmed. When she finally explained everything, their collective shock and horror was evident. What kind of killer just bit someone like that—other than The Clown who liked to eat pinkies? None of them. And it was _only_ her.

“Does your friend have a vampire fetish?” Jake asked.

“… I… I don’t know.”

To make matters worse, each Trial that she had been in since Frank’s—three to be exact—she had managed to survive. Her body was bruised and battered. It was hard to move. Hard to walk. At times, it was even hard to talk as she was sure her most recent match with The Oni left her with a dislocated jaw that enjoyed popping itself in and out of place. Some of her friends were in the same position, although not as bad. The bite mark on her neck had turned a deep purple. Thankfully none of her wounds ended up getting infected. The bruises on her face were getting darker in color. Having seen her reflection in a bottle, she could only describe herself with one term; domestic abuse victim. There were no police to help here. It was only them and the killers. Lailah begged for the sweet escape of death. She begged for the loss of her soul just so she wouldn’t have to feel anymore.

Once the fog swirled around her feet again, she couldn’t help but tilt her head back and laugh. Lailah would like to think she had an iron will, but she was breaking. Even iron had its limits. Accompanied by David, Steve, and Kate she disappeared into the fog. With all the pain she had gone through, that her body was _still_ going through, she couldn’t even feel the stinging that usually came with the fog. The Entity would have to try harder with its fog to harm her now. They said what didn’t kill you made you stronger, but she was weaker than ever.

Appearing in a familiar place should’ve made her happy. All it filled her with was dread. The Ormond Resort. The visage of so close to home was taunting. Teetering between madness and sanity, she staggered towards the resort. Whoever it was, she wasn’t going to hide. Whoever it was, she would do anything to get them to kill her. She couldn’t do this anymore. If hope were a gas tank, she was below empty. It was at that point where you ‘knew your car’, but you weren’t _really_ sure how much longer it could go on. Lailah trudged forward into the resort. The generator was there; just as it always was. Just as it always _would_ be. She fell to her knees and tore open the control panel. Lailah stared blankly into the control panel. This was muscle memory by now.

What should’ve been the heartbeat began. But it was different. It was almost like music. Dark beats, violent shred, and unfathomable vocals from another world filled the air. If hell had a sound, it was that. Out of all the things she had seen, heard, and been through… it wasn’t that. Something new would’ve terrified her. Not now. Right now, she couldn’t care less. The dimly lit sky cast a shadow on the form standing in the doorway. Their head was down. Their body jerked in a violent motion. It came towards her. Not running. Not even really walking. The form was jerking in a violent manner. It reminded her of a doll that was running out of its windup round. The form’s shoulders shook and laughter filled the room. Still, Lailah didn’t stop working on the generator. Their head snapped up, catching on each bit of their muscles. Finally, its head tilted upwards.

_Frank…_

The mask was… different somehow. Even though it was just a mask, she could feel something was different about it. Physically it looked the same. But she couldn’t quite place it. Frank’s laughter rang through the chalet. It was almost… demonic. He moved faster than she had ever seen, but the generator managed to get done. When it popped, she stood up and grunted when he stabbed her in her stomach. He twisted the blade and pushed her further down on it. Without a word or any form of regret, he fisted her hair and tossed her to the ground. Frank hunched over and darted after her friends. The strange music got further away until it faded completely. Lailah coughed and held onto her stomach. There was no part of her that was going to crawl away. Each of her friend’s screams permeated the air. From behind a rock she watched David mending himself. Once he finished, he happened to look in her direction and instantly ran to her.

“Lailah…” David whispered. “I-I don’t h’ve anythin’ to bandage ye.”

“…Go.”

“I’ll find somethin’. Don’t move, ya hear me?” David didn’t wait for her to answer before leaving.

Once David was out of sight, she pulled herself outside. It took a long time. Kate was slammed on a hook. Steve wasn’t far behind. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Frank walk with that strange, broken doll walk towards behind her. Into the chalet. Frank groaned in anger and looked around. His eyes focused on the blood trail and followed it straight to her. Once he laid eyes on her, he instantly started laughing. It was bordering on hysterical. He picked her up by her clothes and hung her over his shoulder. Retreating back to the resort, Frank took her into the basement and slammed her on the back hook before slashing her. Frank coughed and Lailah’s eyes widened when a strange black-red ooze fell from behind the mask. His head tilted and slammed his blade into her stomach again and slashed upwards before wiping her blood on his sleeve and heading up the stairs.

The smell of dried blood, her own wet blood, and bowels penetrated her nostrils. The chanting and talking focused themselves into her ear. It was almost like when she was in that Trial with The Doctor and he had brought her to madness and she heard all that talking in her ears. What the hell was wrong with Frank? That ooze… she’d never seen it before. The music was gone and loud footsteps slammed against the creaking wood of the basement. David was there. He pulled her off the hook and guided her back up the stairs. Kate and Steve were placed on the hook again. A shockwave rang through the Trial and Lailah watched as Kate’s aura was pulled into the sky. Lailah looked down. Steve was struggling against The Entity’s claws.

“I’m gonna go for the brat. Stay hidden.” David instructed and headed towards Steve’s aura.

Lailah didn’t want to hear it later from David, so she did as he commanded and found somewhere to lay low. Kate was gone. One generator was done. Something was wrong with Frank. He was different. Steve’s aura was gone and she watched him run by. It was suicide and murder to call out to him. That strange music filled the air again and she was grabbed around the throat. A knife was jabbed into her back. Deep. Several times. Blood came from the corners of her lips and she fell to her knees. Frank’s form staggered and coughed up more of that ooze. He picked her up and slammed her onto the back hook in the basement once again. As Frank left, she heard him retch and saw a puddle of ooze cover his neck and leave a large puddle on the ground. He took a deep breath and gripped onto the wall. The Entity’s claws were summoned and Lailah managed to stop them just in time.

“As battered and broken as you are… still, you continue to fight.” Frank said; his voice amused.

“…”

Dying would be easy right now. But, if it could give her friends time to get some generators done or bandage each other, then it would be worth the three hooks. Frank laughed again and made a strange gesture, almost like his leg had broken and he ended up holding onto the wall as more of that ooze left from beneath his mask. Frank took a deep breath and groaned. He huffed a laugh and shook his head.

“Impressive.” Frank took off his mask enough to give her a crooked, evil smile.

Frank left the basement. The music disappeared. Lailah struggled, but she was weak. There was no point in struggling for too much longer. It felt like her arms would break. It was so desperate to get a hold of her. But she kept telling herself this was for her friends. That was the only reason she had continued to hold on. Hurried footsteps and panting came from upstairs. Steve came around the corner and helped her off the hook.

“You look like shit.” He whispered.

“…I feel how I look.”

“Yikes. C’mon. Let’s get you outta here.”

Steve took her arm and wrapped it around his neck. They needed to hurry. He practically dragged her up the stairs and onto the second floor of the resort. Repeated screams rang through the air.

“That sounds like—” Steve began, but Lailah rushed back down the stairs, holding onto the railing.

Outside the chalet, Lailah gasped. Frank was repeatedly jabbing his knife into David, holding the man up by the shirt and slammed into the wall each time he tried to wriggle free. There were countless wounds on David’s chest and abdomen. If he was outside of this realm, he would’ve been dead. She was shocked that he wasn’t in here. Frank had mutilated him. Even though Lailah knew that he heard the snow crunching by his momentary freezing, he continued to stab David.

“Stop!” Lailah screamed.

Frank stopped for a moment and let go of David’s shirt sending him sliding down to the ground in a crumpled mess. David was still alive, but he was badly injured. His teeth were red from the blood filling his mouth. It was down his neck and staining his clothing. He lifted up his mask enough to where Lailah could see a smile on his blackened lips. He huffed another laugh and picked up David by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Frank adjusted his grip on the knife and brought it back.

“Frank! Stop!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! So that was a super long chapter. I think I've worked 12 hours on it give or take a few. I really hope you like this chapter and was alright with the length. It's longer than what I've usually been giving you and wasn't as focused on dialogue as I wanted to showcase the--as the title says--descent into madness. Like I said, I hope you don't mind.
> 
> Let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading!


	16. Fragments of the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “…Wind burn is no joke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I have read all your wonderful comments that are completely shooketh from the previous chapter. I wanted to wait a bit longer to write this next chapter, but when I tried to wait it out; I just couldn't get it out of my head and I couldn't put it off any longer.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

_“Frank! Stop!”_

Her screams bounced in the sky and made its way back to her ears. As the words registered, her eyes widened. What had she done? Pure fear seeped into her bones when she watched Frank turn around in that strange mechanical way and stared down at her. David’s blood dripped from the tip of his blade making a small pool by Frank’s boots. His head lolled backwards. His movements reminded her of an inexperienced person attempting to use a marionette for the first time. The dark music intensified as he came closer, staggering towards her. Lailah looked at the eye holes of the mask but saw nothing. Lailah took the steps backwards as he came closer. She stumbled over a rock and fell to her butt in front of him. When he took a few more steps so he was in front of her, Lailah was shaking. Not from the cold. Not from the snow seeping into her pants. Just pure _terror_. It was an even deeper fear than when she was being chased by Vigo in the forest.

“You want me to stop hurting him?” The dark voice emanated from him, tinted with something just as evil as the music that would strangely play when Frank was close. “Then beg for it.”

“Huh?” Lailah kept the brimming tears at bay and looked up at him; towering over her with his knife raised. David’s blood dripped between them.

“I’m a generous guy, Dollface.” Frank huffed a laugh.

Would he really spare David if she begged? If he did… would David even live enough to get out of there? He was in bad shape. Even here, it was a miracle that David was still holding on. His chest was rising and falling, but it was shallow. If her begging would appease Frank enough to where he’d leave David alone then she’d beg. What would she have to do in order to give him enough though? She’d have to try. Taking a deep breath, she ended up turning so that she was on her knees and looking up at Frank. It was hard to tell what his expression was. It was most likely some sick form of elation. Taking another deep breath, she placed her hands in the snow and lowered herself. This was the most vulnerable she had been to another person in her whole life. There was no telling what he’d end up doing.

“Please…” Lailah begged. “Stop. Don’t hurt David anymore.”

A strange laugh left Frank.  
“Since you asked oh so nicely…”

A boot was pressed against her shoulder and with a quick shove, she was flung to her back. Frank stood over her again and with a swift motion, a boot was shoved against her chest. Force began to weigh on it. Slowly, but with enough force from a vice, he pushed harder. Lailah grabbed onto the bottom of Frank’s pants and tugged at them, trying to get it off her. Her fingers dug into his boots, trying to pry the boot off. All the while, she was huffing and gasping for breath as he continuously pushed the air from her lungs. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked up at him. Her attempts were futile and her struggles were slowly getting weaker.

_“Frank… we’re friends, right?”_

_“Huh? Are you stupid?”_

_“I dunno… Am I?”_

_“I-I thought it was obvious, dummy.”_

David’s voice was humming in the background. Whatever he was saying or screaming, her brain wasn’t processing it. Each second her body was shutting down as each of her organs became more and more deprived of oxygen. What was he saying? Knowing David, he was trying to convince Frank to stop hurting her. The only good thing about Frank crushing her to death was that she would end up returning to the campfire void of all the injuries that had been inflicted upon her.

_“Hm? Nah, I’m not into romance movies. I prefer to make my own romance.”_

_“Aren’t you going to get a movie?”_

_“I’ve had a screening of a movie here. And a pretty good one at that.”_

Lailah’s clawing became weaker. Her hands were laying atop the leather of his boots. The edges of her vision were coming fuzzy. The tears though, they continued to fall. Lailah called out for her friend again. In her head, she screamed for him. In her current condition, she was unaware if she had even said it or not. It could’ve been only in her head for all she knew. Her eyelids fluttered and her eyes started to roll in the back of her head. His smiling mask was the last thing that she was going to see before she awoke at the campfire. That strange music became further and further away. Fading out…

Color returned to the world and Lailah was able to take a deep breath again. Her eyes opened and she started coughing. There was no sight of the campfire anywhere. She sat up and clenched onto her tender chest. Her eyes took in the snow around her. It clutched onto her clothing and hair; chilling her. Everything that had been taken from her in those moments was back. All her senses were back on full alert. Her brain on the other hand, was having a hard time catching up with everything. Where was she? The resort? Where was the campfire? Trying her hardest to bring the world back into full focus; she looked around. Against a wall was David. Bleeding.

The music was cutting in and out. In its wake was a heartbeat. Lailah looked up and saw Frank still standing over her. He staggered backwards, holding onto his hood. Groans of pain and those awkward jerks were taking over each time the dark music would encompass the surrounding area. The bloodied knife fell from Frank’s hands as he screamed out in what sounded like pain. The blood stained the white snow. Lailah watched in horror as Frank clawed at his face. Her heartbeat rose and her heart lodged itself in her throat when his hood fell. Another loud, muffled scream left Frank as he staggered back until he hit a wall. It was the perfect time for her to get up, get David, and get the hell out of there, but… she couldn’t. Lailah was glued where she was.

Another loud yell came from him. His mask was flung to the ground a good distance away from him. The music was a mere hum. The heartbeat was gone. Frank’s head was hung and his arms were hanging limp as he was hunched forward. Frank took a couple steps forward and collapsed to his knees; becoming completely limp. His head lolled backwards and Lailah gasped. Black and red ooze was dried on his lips and the corners of his mouth. Some dripped from his chin onto the once white snow. His eyes. Surrounding his dark brown eyes was that same ooze. It looked like tears running along his cheeks. Another sound came from Frank and he fell face first in the snow.

Lailah waited a few moments to see if he moved. The only heartbeat that she heard was her own in her ears. David was somehow still breathing over in his corner. Quickly, she scampered up and headed towards David. As she reached his side and knelt by him, he looked over at her and shuddered a deep breath before going limp. A hot coal settled in her stomach. A large pool amassed around him staining the space around him. Tears filled her eyes and she touched his cold shoulder.

The hatch!

That’s right. All she had to do was find it and she could get the hell out of there. Clutching her still tender chest, she turned away from David’s body and darted in a random direction. She stopped and looked back at Frank’s body still laying in the snow. Deciding against the flight part of her natural instincts, she grabbed his knife from the ground and limped towards his body. Taking her shoe, she turned him over and watched with a racing heart as he flopped to the other side. All that strange ooze was gone from his face. Even what had been caked on was gone. It was almost like it hadn’t been there in the first place. But she knew what she saw. Frank looked like he was sleeping. Her legs gave out and she fell at his side. With shaking hands, she grabbed onto his hunting knife with both her hands. How many times had her friends died by this blade? How many times had they been stabbed, sliced, and diced? She couldn’t mutilate him, but… she could get revenge. Raising the blade over her head.

_“Frank, we’re friends… right?”_

Tears filled her eyes and burned her nose. Even though he had done unspeakable things; behind that mask was his face. Sleeping or dead, it was him. No, he was just a monster that was wearing Frank’s skin. This wasn’t her friend. She adjusted her grip and felt the tears starting to fall.

“I’m sorry, Frank…” She said; her voice cracking.

A grunt came from beneath her. His head moved and Lailah felt that spark of fear. His eyelids fluttered and opened. Brown eyes met her blue ones. Her hands couldn’t move. They started to shake. His lips curled into a smirk. Her fingers unclenched and the blade fell to the spot between them. The tears started to fall. As cowardly as it was, she would’ve preferred to kill him while he was sleeping. Now that he was looking at her, _smiling_ at that, she wasn’t able to. Her hands had let go. David’s dead body flashed in her mind and the brutal mutilation that he had suffered at Frank’s hands. Next to her, Frank started to stand up but Lailah grabbed it and scrambled up first. She pointed the blade at him. It was stained with the blood of her friends, but soon it would be coated with his.

Frank didn’t move towards her nor did he go to grab his mask. He just stared at her with those _stupid_ brown eyes! That _stupid_ smile on his stupid face. She tried to steel herself, but she was shaking. If she didn’t keep her guard up, Frank could disarm her with no issue and truly crush her sternum. Or worse, she could end up like David. Something even worse that she was unable to think of could happen. He said nothing about her stance nor the shaking blade. He simply stayed in his spot.

“I’ll kill you.”

“Do it.”

_Huh?_

“…I swear I will!” Lailah tried to sound threatening, but her voice started to crack again.

“I won’t stop you.”

“…Y-You’re right.”

“…” Frank tilted his head up and looked at her. He started to walk to her left, but Lailah started to move to her right. “I deserve it.”

“Damn right you do! You killed them all! So many times!” Frank stopped moving and Lailah started to scream at him through her tears. “Killing you will be a bit of revenge. I… I don’t know what will happen to you, but I don’t care! You can rot in hell for all I care. You—”

“Lailah.”

Lailah froze. Her name on his voice sounded so foreign and yet so natural. There were many times during their time together as kids that he had called her by name. However, it sounded different coming from him now. He sounded somewhat amused, and… tired. They all were. Maybe she could take him by surprise. Stab him. Pretend she didn’t know who he was. He started to move again, as did she.

“I—”

“I’m not stupid. I know you know who I am.”

“…I have no idea who you are.” She wasn’t lying. But she wasn’t telling the truth either.

Frank held his head and grunted in pain, staggering slightly. He sounded out of breath, almost like he had just done a marathon. Even from their space, she could see that he was starting to sweat. Lailah raised the knife again and kept her eyes focused on him. Any wrong move and she would strike. She wished that she could say she wouldn’t hesitate, but that’s all she’d been doing. After a few moments, Frank let out a bitter laugh.

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while. Even out there.” Frank said, panting.

“…”

“Wished I was wrong. Too bad I wasn’t.”

Lailah watched him wince in pain. He had killed them, but she could still see the little boy that pushed her on the swing. The little boy that had tried to make her feel welcome. The little boy that she had built a snow alien from. That same little boy that she had been in the photo with at home. Lailah lowered the knife and swallowed the lump in her throat.

“…How did you know?”

“How did you?” He retorted.

“…You first.”

“No, you.” Frank huffed a laugh.

Could she tell him about the Auric cells? If she did, what would be the ramifications? Would it benefit them? Harm them? All she needed to do was get to that hatch, but she couldn’t turn her back on Frank. It could leave her open. This was also an opportunity to get some information from him.

“In the forest, a memory showed. Two of them. One of my first night at the orphanage. The other… when you paid for my movie at the store.” Lailah stopped and sighed. “I saw one of Jeff’s… he was checking your ID for your rental, and… he said your name.”

“Memories, huh?” Frank grunted out.

“Now you!”

“Demanding.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Frank! Give me answers!”

“…Your eyes.”

“W-What?”

“Your eyes. I’ve never seen any others like it.”

“…” Lailah squared herself when Frank took a few steps closer.

“Blue, but that bright green spot on the upper part of your iris. Left eye.”

Lailah looked at Frank. The anger was having a hard time remaining.  
“Why…?” Her voice cracked.

The heartbeat started. Faint. But she had heard it enough to know.  
“…We’re running out of time.” He sounded pained.

“What?”

“There isn’t enough time to explain. Leave.”

The heartbeat began increasing. Frank staggered backwards. Then forwards.  
“W-What’s happening?”

“The Entity. I’m a killer, Lailah.” Frank huffed a laugh.

“B-But—”

“I-I disobeyed it too many times. It gave me o-orders. Kill. Kill _you_ in particular.”

“…”

“I wasn’t sure, and I-I couldn’t ask.”

The heartbeat became faster.  
“What?”

“If it _was_ you, I couldn’t… orders or not.”

“So—”

“I’m a servant. A prisoner. I am its harbinger of death. It hungers. I-I failed.”

“You… failed?”

“Too many times.”

“Frank—”

“Leave!!” Frank yelled. “Before it—just…go.”

Lailah’s eyes widened. The heartbeat was getting louder, thundering in her ears. Frank kept shaking his head and holding onto it. She backed up. Fear engulfed her once more. The music was echoing in the background of Frank’s growing heartbeat. His breathing was labored. As Frank said, she turned and ran. Knowing this place like the back of her hand helped, and in no time she could hear the hatch. It was further away, and on her tail was Frank. His trusty knife was in his hand again and the heartbeat was slamming against her eardrums so loud she was sure they’d break. She slid on some ice and almost fell, but managed to catch herself. The hatch was so close. She came to a stop and looked down at it; the black fog swirling out that would bring her back to the campfire. The music began to increase and Frank’s movements became jerky again. But the heartbeat was still the most prevalent. Lailah took her foot and took a deep breath, slamming the hatch shut.

The ground cracked open and between the fissures that light shined. It felt like it was brighter than ever before. The music started to fade away. The heartbeat calmed and stopped for a moment. Frank looked at her; realization in his eyes shoving the glossiness away. Lailah stared at him completely resolute and steeled in the decision she had just made. She would die. It would hurt. End game sacrifices were the most painful. The Entity was able to grab them anywhere and take their souls.

“What… did you do?” Frank asked.

“You’re not a puppet!”

“No!”

Her feet were lifted from the snow and he was carrying her off. Lailah didn’t struggle. He took her to an exit gate and pulled the lever down. It didn’t respond. Frank became frantic and started pulling the lever up and down. The fissures opened faster. No matter how many times he pulled, the gate did not respond. Hurrying, he put Lailah down and grabbed her hand and put it on the gate and started to pull down. The gate started responding. Only for a second before The Entity engulfed the lever. Frank tried to pry the tendrils off but pulled his hand back. Burns covered his palms. Bad ones. He looked at her and Lailah stood with a small smile on her face. He was not smiling.

“Do you… realize what you’ve done?”

“I do.”

“These… sacrifices take part of your soul.” Frank said.

“I know.”

Frank grabbed onto her jacket and shook her.  
“Why?! Are you stupid?”

“I don’t know… Am I?”

Frank dropped his hands from her coat and hung his head. Lailah watched his head shake. All this time, he had been trying to keep her safe and it was like she had just shit all over his work. She put a hand on his shoulder and he lifted his head; his brown eyes looked sad and defeated.

“This is our life now.” Lailah said. “I will _not_ let you be a puppet. You’re not a tool, Frank.”

“It’s your soul you fucking idiot…”

Lailah shrugged.  
“You’ve been protecting me all this time… I’m not going to let you be punished because of me.”

“Lailah—”

The Entity’s claws sprung up from the ground impaling her. It was natural instinct to scream. She held onto her stomach where she was impaled and watched as Frank threw his knife in the ground and kicked the snow and held his head. The arms broke her bones and the last one impaled straight through her skull.

Lailah woke up at the campfire. It was the first time in what felt like forever where she was devoid of wounds. Her stomach and head ached, but that was normal after any sort of sacrifice. Her friends were all looking at her. She stood up and went over to the campfire, slicing her hand and letting all the blood flow from it. They wanted answers. And she had _so_ many things to tell them. This wasn’t just about them anymore. She was unsure if it had ever been just about them. She held her head and sat between Claudette and Feng Min. Lailah looked at the campfire and furrowed her brows.

“I take it ye ended up dyin’ ‘fore ye killed ‘im.” David said.

_This is it._

“I sacrificed myself.”

A collective uproar filled the camp of various questions if she was stupid or crazy. Others were softly asking about her mental health. There were times when they just gave up, but if they had the chance to escape they always took it. Lailah had closed the hatch of her own accord and let herself become a snack for The Entity. This was dangerous ground that she was treading on. If she worded something wrong, all of them could turn against her and all trust would be broken. This plan had just gotten bigger than she had originally thought. Once her friends calmed down, she took a deep breath.

“All this time, I’ve thought—all of us have—that these killers were doing this of their own accord. Some of them are. But, there are those that are taken here and are being used as slaves. Frank is one of them. All this time, he suspected it was me. When I was young, he ended up accidentally smacking me in the eye with a toy. I had to go to the doctor and it left me with a damaged spot on my eye. He recognized me from that. The semblance of humanity that I knew was there in him trying to protect me. The cost of sparing your Obsession repeatedly is… god awful. You don’t disobey your boss out there, it gets you fired. Here…? It turns you into something else completely. In all the times I’ve been in these Trials, I’ve never seen a killer act like Frank did then. He moved like a broken doll. All this ooze was coming from his eyes and mouth. This… dark music filled the air instead of a heartbeat. Frank’s voice completely his own. I think that Frank was being controlled by The Entity.”

“He tell you that?” Ash asked.

“Yes.”

“You trust him?”

“David. Kate. Steve. You saw it. That _thing_ in there wasn’t Frank.”

Everyone else looked at the other three and one by one they confirmed it with a nod.  
“Got ‘specially bad wi’ me.” David said.

“…Yeah. Somehow Frank fought back just long enough to tell me these things. There are choices I have to make. A fragment of my soul for his sanity. I don’t _ever_ want to see him like that again. That was the worst thing I’ve ever seen here. It makes me wonder how many others here that are in the same position.”

“You’re saying the killers are the good guys and are just poor tortured souls?” Nea asked and scoffed. “No offense, but that’s crazy talk.”

“…Not all of them. Michael and Freddy to name two that are evil to the core. What about The Spirit though? I don’t know anything about her, but… she’s not connected. She was killed and dismembered. Now she’s vengeful. The Plague. She wants everyone to feel the same pain that she felt as she died. The woman must’ve been a priestess… or something.”

“It… is possible that she was infected while she was alive.” Adam muttered. “However, you have nothing to support this theory. Not every killer is Frank.”

“I know… but, why would he be the first that was used and tortured against their will?”

A collective silence fell over them. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts. This was a lot of new information. Not only was Frank being controlled and punished for not killing Lailah, the possibility of it not _just_ being him was out there. If it was true, then how were they supposed to tell the truly bad from the tortured? None of them had an answer yet. All they could do was hope and pray that they weren’t being led in the wrong direction. One wrong move and it could end up being eternal damnation for the rest of them. Well, worse than what they were dealing with right now.

“That’s something we can think about later.” Kate said.

“First thing’s first. We have to return Vigo to his original form.” Meg said.

“Any idea on how we do that?” Jake asked with a sigh.

“The last known location we have of these flowers is in The Void.” Bill said. “Safe to assume that’s where we should look.”

“I don’t like the sound of that at all.” Jane mumbled and hugged herself.

It was true. Something called The Void was usually be a place where any person would try to avoid no matter what the cost was. They couldn’t do that. Jumping headfirst into danger was what was going to save them in the end. It was always a matter of if they were too late or not. As they had been confined to the campfire and the surrounding area, then it wasn’t like they were able to stumble across exits like that.

“What if The Entity is protecting it?” Feng asked.

“I don’t think it knows we know of it.” Adam retorted. “Which is why time is of the essence. Finding the entrance to The Void is top priority.”

“And if we come up empty?” Nancy asked.

“… Then we think of something else. We’re so close, I can feel it.” Lailah sighed. “The flower. Vigo. Baker. It’s all a sequence. Once we find the end of the rope, we can follow it to the origin. Baker. Then we can find a way home.”

“Right.” Steve muttered.

“When some of us are in Trials, the others need to search. We rotate groups that way that The Entity doesn’t get suspicious of it having a hard time trying to grab others from Trials. I don’t know how it searches, but the campfire is the first place it reaches for. We need to keep the illusion that everything’s normal and that we’re terrified survivors.” Claudette said.

“Some of really _are_ terrified.” Dwight mumbled.

“We all are.” Nea chuckled. “But… we need to put that aside.”

Lailah stood up. She ran her fingers through her hair.  
“I have to go see Frank.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Laurie asked.

“No clue. But… if I can get more information from him, it can help us.”

“And if he ends up killing you?” Ace threw out.

“…I have no idea. If he was lying? I have no idea. But I need to find out and gather everything we can.”

“Don’t tell him about our ideas. I think I speak for all of us when I say we don’t trust him.” Steve mumbled.

“…I know. I wouldn’t do that. But, there’s something we’re not seeing.” Lailah exhaled. “I just hope that this goes as I planned.”

Lailah waved her friends off before heading into the forest. It was cold and dark. She hated it. Once she was out of here, she was sure that she’d never venture into the woods ever again. There was no telling what would happen if she ended up in The Legion’s realm again. What if she didn’t run into Frank, but ran into one of the other three instead? What if she ran into Julie? Ace was right though, the possibility of him lying and just trying to lure her into a false sense of security was high. But, it was a chance that she was going to have to take. She’d already given up a fraction of her soul to give him some more sanity and placate The Entity the best that she could. Besides, if the others had seen what she did, they would be doubting the thought of him faking it. There was no one that could fake that sort of Entity colored ooze. She ran her hands down her face. Once she was chased by Vigo, she had stumbled into the Realm. Would it help to find Vigo again and end up running into The Legion’s realm? What if it didn’t? What if he ended up running faster and caught up with her? There were too many undiscovered variables and too many ‘what ifs’ for her liking. Trying to remember everything she could from The Legion’s Realm and what she had seen would lead her there. Hopefully. All of the forest looked the same. It was like trying to find a specific needle in a needle stack.

There was no telling how long she had been wandering around when she saw a familiar tree. Lailah bit her lip and passed the tree. She moved some leaves and branches out of the way and had the magnificent luck of finding her footprints from her last venture. What kept them preserved? Was it really luck? Or… something else? Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she followed her footprints to a part of the forest that looked off. It was where her footprints ended. She reached around and it felt like the rest of the forest. It seemed there was nothing there. Lailah took a deep breath and walked towards that part of the forest. Two steps later and she was face to face with the Ormond Resort again. Had she done it? Hiding behind one of the many wooden walls littering the area, she peeked into the resort. Joey and Susie were sitting on the couch. Julie was outside; her arms folded and lazily kicking some snow. Did they go insane and get bored being here? There was only four of them after all. There were a lot more survivors and shockingly enough, they weren’t contained as tightly as the killers were. Lailah saw Frank standing on the second floor balcony. His hands were folded and he was leaning on the railing, looking into the distance. What was he thinking about? Was he feeling okay?

This was dangerous territory. There was no guarantee that Frank would continue to defend her if they were caught by his friends. Childhood friend or not, three against two was a bad idea. Especially when three of them had weapons. Getting Frank’s attention could be a success or a failure. Lailah patted her pockets for something that she could find to toss at him to catch his attention. Clearly she hadn’t thought that part through. The thought of him being on the second floor far away didn’t occur to her. The desire to check on her once close friend was her only thought. She looked around for something, _anything_ to toss at him. All she could find were rocks. Lailah wasn’t the best throw in the world, and accidentally hitting him would cause too much attention. A little ways away, she caught sight of something yellow. Lailah looked around before heading to it. Dusting away some snow, she huffed a small laugh. A smiley face pin. She tossed it in her hand trying to feel the weight of it. Getting closer was pretty much sealing her doom, but she had to suck it up. She reached back and threw the pin with all her might.

Lailah watched as Frank touched his cheek where the pin had hit. He looked up at the sky and held out his hand like he was waiting for rain. There were so many things wrong with that. He wasn’t the brightest bulb on the tree. Never had been. But he had always meant well and that was the most important thing for her. He looked over in her direction and Lailah peeked her head around the corner. Instantly Frank stood up. Julie looked over at Frank.

“You alright, babe?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Frank mumbled. “Just spaced off for a moment there.”

“I’m cold. I’m heading inside.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

Lailah exhaled a sigh of relief when Julie went inside and sat on the couch with the other two. Frank motioned for her to come around to the other side. Making sure to stay as discreet as possible and keep her eyes on the other three inside, she headed into a blind spot of the resort. Frank went downstairs and sighed.

“Going for a walk. It’s stuffy in here.”

Lailah watched him walk around nonchalantly. Keeping appearances up was a hard, but necessity. It took Frank almost five minutes to get to where she was at having to walk around and stop. She hadn’t seen any of them looking at him, but he knew his friends and girlfriend better than she did. When Frank finally rounded the corner where she was; he walked to a spot in front of her. It hid both of them, but at the same time made it look natural that he’d be standing there looking at the sky.

“You came.” Frank said.

“I had to see you. I had to know you were okay.”

“… You’re so stupid.”

“You are alright. Right?” Lailah asked, looking his face over.

“Yeah… For now. It appeased The Entity for now. I’m… sorry about everything.”

“That’s your role here. I wish I could say it’s alright, Frank, but…”

“I’ve killed your friends.”

“A lot.” Lailah nodded with an awkward smile.

It was nice to be able to have an actual conversation. Whatever her sacrifice had entailed; it must’ve calmed The Entity down quite a bit as he wasn’t acting strange like he usually did when she was around. There was no pressing up against walls or needless touching. He was keeping a respectable distance and held his hands in his pockets. All this time, she had thought about what she would say to him if they could have a real conversation. Now that the time had come though; she was at a loss for words. Frank was wiggling his fingers in his pockets and looking up at the sky. After a few seconds, he looked back at her.

“Look, I gotta tell you that I’m sorry for… getting in your space the way I did.”

“Oh…”

“I wasn’t really in control of my actions.” Frank said. “Not… all the way at least.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. I just mean that The Entity didn’t have full control over me then.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I got that. But again. Huh?” Her brows raised.

“I made the conscious decision to come and talk to you. I tried to talk to you, but it got me and made me do… weird things to you.” Frank cleared his throat.

“Gotcha.”

“I’m uh… a lot of things, but I don’t touch people like that.”

“Except your girlfriend.”

Frank smirked.  
“Well yeah, but that’s a bit of an exception.”

“True…”

Lailah cleared her throat and folded her arms and looked around. She had come here to talk to him and get more information, but… she hadn’t expected all this talking and apologizing. The last time they’d had a true conversation outside of a Trial was when she was trying to get the people to adopt him to let him come back. That felt like an eternity ago.

“Thank you… for trying to protect me.”

“I always have, haven’t I?” He huffed a laugh.

“Yeah. You have.”

Silence fell between them for a while. Neither of them really looked at each other’s faces and ended up looking around at the scenery. Lailah gnawed at the skin of her lip. A terrible habit. How was she even going to bring up the questions that she wanted to ask? It would make it look like her coming here to check on him was just an excuse. It wasn’t. Truly, she had wanted to know what Frank was like now that The Entity had gotten a bite of her soul as the Obsession.

“You haven’t changed.” Frank said. When Lailah looked up, his brown eyes were staring at her and she was smiling.

“That a good thing?”

“Very.”

Lailah shuffled her feet in the snow.  
“I thought about you every day.”

“You did?”

“Mm. I wondered how things were… how you were doing… what kind of person you grew up to be…”

“Bet you didn’t expect me to grow into a failure.” Frank huffed bitterly, raising his brows.

“A failure?”

“Come on. You’re not blind. I’m not the same boy that was in the orphanage with you.”

“No, you’re a… man now.”

“You know what I mean.”

“…Yeah. I do.” Lailah sighed.

“Disappointed?” Frank asked. His tone was bitter. Self-loathing.

Lailah shook her head.  
“No. I… didn’t expect it. While there are things that are clearly different and things I… never really saw you doing.”

“Like killing?” His tone was humorless.

“Uh… I was talking about the neck tattoo.”

“Oh. Right. Right.”

“Before coming here, Frank… did you ever kill someone?”

“…Yeah.”

Lailah exhaled and gripped onto her jacket.  
“What happened?”

“All of us have vandalized and broken into places. I’m not really sure if you watched a lot of the news, but… we were on there quite a lot. Anyway… Joey got fired and I had the idea we should go vandalize the place. The cleaner was there… and he attacked Julie. I acted on instinct and stabbed him. All of us took a slice and…” Frank trailed off, his brows furrowed.

“Frank, you were never a violent person. I don’t understand…”

“I’m… not a good person, Lailah. At all.”

“I don’t think that. I still see parts of you from when we were kids.” Lailah explained. “I just… those people that adopted you seemed so nice, I’m confused.”

Frank huffed another humorless laugh.  
“Right. _Them_. I got angry because I was taken from you—I mean, the orphanage. Like you as in the orphanage, not you in particular. Anyway. I lashed out. Instead of trying to help, they just tossed me back into the system. I wanted them to take me back to the Sanchez’s, but fuck me I guess. I was bounced around from foster home to foster home. Started going downhill. Once I turned 16, this guy Clive adopted me. Piece of shit. Didn’t care for me. Car ride back to his house was the longest we spent together. Used the checks from adopting me for alcohol. I can count on one hand how many times I saw him sober.”

“…”

“Got kicked off the basketball team. I said fuck it and left school all together.”

_“You would’ve had to have met this person before the movie store.”_

_“I did once. In school. He left shortly after. Got expelled or dropped out. Don’t know.”_

“Oh…” Lailah cleared her throat. Frank was smiling at her again.

“Looks like you turned out better.”

“…”

“Your parents treating you good?”

“Yeah.”

“Better be.” Frank mumbled. “So, Lailah, what are you really here for?”

“Huh?”

“I know you didn’t come here to see me.”

“I did—”

“Lailah.”

“It was the _main_ reason, but… I do have some questions.”

Frank gave a small laugh.  
“I’m all ears.”

“What was that ooze?”

“Best way I can describe it is the liquified form of The Entity.”

“Come again?”

“It’s like a disease. Whatever it touches, it controls. It… threatened me before. I didn’t listen. Well, we saw what happened. Could you… apologize to your boyfriend for me?”

“My… what?” Lailah blinked.

“That buff guy that I kinda…”

“David?”

“Suppose.”

“David isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my friend.”

“…Oh.” Frank cleared his throat. “Either way, could you?”

“Yeah. I’ll do that.” Lailah promised. She had no idea how he’d react to that.

“So, you said whatever that touches, it controls. So if it touched a rock, it would control a rock?"

"No. I think that it only works on people. When it touches something that isn’t alive it just kinda melds into it. Strangely enough, it only seems to do that on the ground. Not that I go around playing with Entity goo.”

“Got it.”

“Pick up things quick.”

“This is gonna sound… weird, but do you happen to have—”

Frank reached into his pocket and pulled out a small; stained bag. It was probably stuck somewhere in the resort.  
“This?”

“Where’d you get it?”

“I had an alarming amount on my mask. Somehow, I knew you’d be wanting a peek.”

“Thanks, Frank.” Lailah said as she took the bag.

“No problem. Anytime.” He smiled.

Lailah peeked inside the bag. It was shining orange and black. Just like the Entity’s claws did when they were surrounding them on the hook. If ooze had emotions, it looked pissed.  
“Ew…”

“Are you…” Frank trailed off and looked at the sky. “No, never mind.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing.”

“Alright. I’m gonna head out. I’ll… try to come back soon.” Lailah said.

“Yeah.” Frank furrowed his brows and looked down at her. A cold wind blew through their realm. He moved some hair that was out of place and put it behind her ear. “…Be careful.”

He turned around and headed back to the resort. Lailah felt her cheeks. Hot and she was sure that they were red.

“…Wind burn is no joke.” Lailah mumbled and headed back towards the exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! I know, I know. It was a lot shorter than the other chapter. There wasn't that much going on either. But considering the cliffhanger from last chapter, I wanted this to be all about Frank and Lailah. I hope that was alright with you and those of you that were so shooketh were alright with the way this turned out. Thanks again for reading!


	17. Searching For The Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Frank, you’re talking like you’re in love with her.”
> 
> "..."
> 
> "Are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Thanks for returning to Living Hell. It is currently almost 10 AM. I started this chapter sometime last night and I am sure that I spent about ten hours on it. I had a lot of sifting of lore to do and a lot of thinking. Planning. You know, all that fun shit. Anyway! I hope that the wait that you had was worth it!
> 
> Enjoy!

Lailah took one more look back at where Frank had entered the resort before she left The Legion’s section of the realm. Each time, she felt like it would be the last time that she was ever going to see him. Each time, it very well could be. There was no telling how many soul fragments they had left. Each Trial where they died could end up being their last one that would end up putting an end to where Lailah and Frank were unable to see each other again. Just once, she wanted to be able to see him outside of The Entity’s Realm knowing who he was. All this time, she couldn’t believe that he had suspected it was her. Why didn’t he say anything? Whether he was what she expected him to be or not, he still should’ve said something. What could they have done or said if he had’ve just spoken up?

The cold forest stabbed at her skin. Strangely enough, the forest was colder than the snowy aea of the abandoned Ormond Resort. Getting out of this realm was going to be a welcome relief as it was, but second only to the Trials themselves, she would be so thankful to be rid of this forest. Lailah was positive that she would have a phobia of forests and fog for the rest of her days. There would be no way that she would be the same person leaving this place as she was when she came in. For one, she was definitely going to find Frank once they got out and—… what exactly? She hadn’t thought that far ahead. Out there, she only had _one_ life. What would she do if Julie snapped even more than she already had and ended up killing her? Just talking to him outside of this living hell would be great.

Getting lost in her thoughts was dangerous. Not just because she had an overactive imagination at times, but because she was taking a chance of accidentally stumbling too close to Vigo and having him end up killing her. Information was power; power was key. The knowledge that she had could end up saving them. Having her thoughts too focused on Frank to where she’d start to drift could put them all in danger. She couldn’t help it though… it really _was_ him. He was still in there. What would she have to do in order to keep him there? Lailah was terrified of losing him to The Entity as he had been before, or even worse; for good. It was just just for her. Or for Frank. It wasn’t even just about the survivors anymore. This encompassed Survivors _and_ Killers. The tortured souls that were being forced to kill everyone were counting on them as well.

Turning left at a tree she had marked, she froze. A feral howl combined with what sounded like a person screaming pierced the sky. It was something so human and yet so animalistic; it struck fear into her soul. Lailah turned around and around. Her eyes scanned each part of the forest that she was able, the fastest that her eyes were allowing her to send the information to her brain. Her breathing came out in quick puffs. Getting back to the campfire was of the utmost importance right now. That sort of sound could only come from Vigo. If he was making such a sound… Lailah didn’t want to think of how the immortal beast could be changing. It was hard enough thinking that they’d have to go against him at some point; even if it was briefly to administer the serum. If he changed to become more powerful, there was no telling if they’d be able to take him. They weren’t strong individually. Together, they were stronger. However, sending all 21 of them to try to administer this serum was genocide. They’d be wiped out completely. They’d have to pray he remained the same and hope that they were able to complete their plan adequately enough to where they could give him that serum. Beyond that… all they could do was hope that it would work in general.

“Quickly…” A voice whispered, dancing along the treetops. “No time.”

“Help.”

Lailah stopped. Her palms were sweating and the rest of her body was breaking into a cold sweat. What the hell? These didn’t sound like friends of hers. Were they other survivors? Lailah took a step in the direction of one of the voices, but she stopped. There was no way that there would be survivors out here other than her friends. Each of them arrived at the campfire and running to the campfire, she would be able to hear pants and branches snapping like they had when she arrived what felt like an eternity ago. The voices continued to whisper, their words becoming indiscernible. It was all melded together and prodded at her ear drum. There was no way to untangle the words that the two voices spoke. It was so light and danced on the wind, Lailah wasn’t even able to tell the gender of the voices.

Going with the “flight” of her “flight-or-fight instinct”, she ran back towards the tree that she was familiar with leading her back to the campfire. The voices continued and Lailah tried her damndest to cover her ears and push them out. Just like the rest of this realm, the voices didn’t abide by regular laws. She could hear them just as quickly as if her ears weren’t covered at all. They were getting further and further away the more she headed back to the campfire. The ache in her head from the voices pressing against her mind and ears finally subsided as the flame came into view on the edge of the treeline. A rush of relief crashed over her, enveloping her. While there was no _true_ safety in this place, this was the closest that she was going to get to safety other than being with Frank. Even then… there was the three of his friends being a looming threat of potentially trying to murder her just from laying eyes on her.

Breaking through the trees, her friends looked at her. Some looked shocked. Others looked excited. A few looked concerned about her demeanor and the bag that she was carrying. Lailah gave another look back at the forest before taking a seat at the campfire, placing the brown back with the rest of their belongings, making triple sure that the bag was tightened. It would be a great time for a stapler. She rubbed her temples and exhaled. The campfire started to warm her chilled body. Whether it was from the snow, the forest, Vigo’s howl, or the voices she was unaware. It was quite possibly a combination of all of them. It wouldn’t shock her in the least. Lailah’s head fell, and she ended up taking a deep breath to try to calm her racing heart. This was for everyone. All they had to do was persevere a little longer. It would benefit everyone if their plan worked.

“Are you alright?” Dwight asked, his voice feeble and worried.

“Define ‘alright’.”

“Ye find anythin’ out from talkin’ to ‘im?” David asked, crossing his legs.

Lailah ran her hands down her face. All of this at one time was so overwhelming that she was unsure how the hell she was supposed to tell them. One step at a time was the usual answer, but Lailah wasn’t even truly sure where the hell the beginning was at. Just telling them things as they came to mind was going to end up sounding like a jumbled mess, but it was better than keeping them in the complete dark. Might as well let them run around in a candle-lit pitch blackness like she was doing.

“Frank’s back to normal. That soul shard seemed to calm it down a _lot_. He said that he had heard The Entity talking to him; warning him to sacrifice us—me. But, it wasn’t talking now. That makes me think that it's sated. For now.”

“There is no telling how long it will be until it is roused once more.” Adam said making Lailah nod. As much as she hated it, Adam was right. Just because The Entity wasn’t moving at the moment didn’t mean that they were safe. If anything, it meant the complete opposite.

“Then we need to get moving.” Yui said. “What else did he say?”

“Frank and I talked about our childhood and I learned some things about him. He… He’s not a bad person. There’s a lot of things he’s done. Some things that are terrible, but, I just know him. He doesn’t think he’s a good person, but I know he is.”

“What makes ye so sure?” David asked, clearly sneering at the idea that they could be friends with a killer. Not just _any_ killer, but one that had killed them.

“Frank wanted me to apologize. Just in general for the things that he’s done. But,” Lailah turned to look at David. “he wanted me to apologize specifically to you, David. He wasn’t in control of his actions.”

Murmurs rose from around the campfire. Each of them were reacting differently to the idea that a killer had apologized to someone for doing their job. Some of them were on the side of believing him; others, not so much. Lailah couldn’t blame either side. In truth, she was shocked that some had even taken his word at face value. All of them had been killed by him at one time or another, she was sure that they were all going to blindly hate him without thinking that she was right and that he _was_ being used. Perhaps that would let them see that he potentially wasn’t the only one that was being used as a tool by The Entity.

“What if he’s being kind to take us by surprise?” Ash asked.

“Like faking it?” Nancy asked. “He _is_ a killer after all.”

Lailah sighed. Nancy wasn’t wrong. But it still hurt to hear. There was a chance that Frank was just pretending to be on their side—well maybe not _that_ far—to get their trust.

“What would he have to gain from such a ruse?” Adam asked. The murmurs stopped and they all looked at their fellow survivor. His eyes were lit up by the campfire and he was determined. As were they all. He seemed to be onto something, however.

“He’s a killer. What _wouldn’t_ he have to gain from tricking us?” Jake asked.

“That is just it. He wouldn’t gain anything.”

“Explain.” Jeff said.

“We are pulled into Trials. If we are pulled into a Trial with Frank, his job is to kill us. From what Lailah has said, he cannot leave his realm. This must remain true for all of them or else they would’ve ended us all by now.” Adam began. “If Frank is attempting to trick us, there is nothing more that he can do other than kill us in Trials. Which is his job to begin with.”

“Whether he’s trickin’ us or not doesn’t matter. Ain’t nothin’ gonna change.” Kate said.

“We’re just going to have to trust the kid to be our man on the inside.” Bill blew some smoke from his cigarette and leaned his back against a log.

“There is something else.” Lailah said. She stood up and went over to where she had put the brown paper bag and picked it up before handing it to Claudette. “Frank gave me this.”

Claudette looked at Lailah for a moment. She blinked and unrolled the bag. Everyone was looking at Claudette and Lailah. Her friend’s brows knit together and her mouth opened and closed. It was clear she had no idea what she was looking at. The moment Claudette reached her hand into the bag was the moment that Lailah grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t touch it!” Lailah exclaimed. “Frank said that it controls people when they touch it. It came from him when he was being controlled, and I don’t know if it works backwards, but I don’t want to test it.”

“Right.” Lailah let go of her wrist and Claudette looked at the ooze, tilting her head side to side. 

Claudette was a scientist; a botanist. There was no doubt that her friend still wanted to pick it up and examine it, but there was too much at risk for simple curiosity. One by one, the bag was passed around and each of them got to see the ooze that was moving around inside it. Steve’s face twisted up in disgust. She couldn’t blame him, watching it move around was rather disgusting to look at. The fact that it glowed and seemed to have a mind of its own was even more worrisome. That was perhaps the most dangerous thing that they had yet to hold in their hands. It could be the tool for their salvation or destruction. There was no telling right now which it was going to be. It could be neither. It could be both.

Feng Min tilted the bag to the left and the right. They could hear the sound of the ooze sliding back and forth at the bottom of the bag; the brown paper bulging as its weight shifted from one side to the other. Lailah watched for a moment and jumped when it let out a sound. It was almost like it hissed. Feng screamed and almost dropped the bag. That was the only piece that they had, as terrifying as it was, they needed to make sure to keep track of it and keep it contained until they were able to use it—if at all, or to figure out what the hell it was other than the “liquified version of The Entity” as Frank had called it. There had to be some sort of reason that it was inside a person being controlled. There just had to be a reason that it seeped into the ground like Frank had told her it would. It would be nice to test that theory, but they only had that small section. Trying to separate it would require them touching it.

“That’s important. Can’t tell ya how though.” Bill said.

“I think so too.” Claudette seconded.

“Putting this strange thing aside, we must find a way into the Void.” Adam stated.

“The only person that knows how to get into the Void is Vigo.” Jeff reminded.

“And he doesn’t feel like talking.” Ash commented.

“Only way is to get that flower.” Nea said. “We’re putting a lot of faith on some vague plans. Trying to somehow find a flower that could potentially be in this ‘Void’ place while the only person that knows how to get there is the very person we’re trying to save from this flower’s hold. This whole realm is a fucking joke.”

Lailah parted her lips to speak, but a familiar cold feeling gripped onto her ankles. David, Feng, and Jeff also had the fog pooled around their ankles. So much for The Entity taking a small nap. She looked at her friends and frowned. A solemn silence covered the campfire’s clearing as they were pulled into another Trial. Just keeping as many soul fragments as possible to complete their bit of a plan was another problem. If they just had a way to tell how many fragments they had, it would be easier. They would know who to protect and who could take the fall for another. But, it was just guesswork at this point. The fog stabbed her, making her grip onto her side for a second as she was robbed of breath. Finally, Lailah was able to breathe again, and she was able to see the surrounding area.

Crushed cars were piled up around each turn. Lailah stared at the interworkings of the cars. First thing’s first; she had to find somewhere to hide. After that, she could worry about who the killer was. Her steps were quick and quiet as she moved towards a corner. The heartbeat was softer. Lailah let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to know that she wasn’t going against someone that could mask their heartbeat. That left a lot of killers that they were potentially going against. There were no traps scattered along the ground that she had seen so the chances of it being The Trapper were slim. The heartbeat got closer and thundered in her ears. Lailah felt her mouth go dry. She peeked around the corner and saw the killer running towards her corner. They stopped and groaned, looking at their hands. It sounded like a man. She waited until he turned slightly before she got closer.

The familiar smiling mask with her blood across the mouth turned in her direction. A sigh of relief escaped her. Her heartbeat was almost as loud as Frank’s in her ears. Just because it was Frank didn’t really ensure their success. He looked around, twiddling the knife in his fingers. He was walking normally. There was none of that jerking, but that didn’t necessarily mean that The Entity didn’t have control over him either. He was in the middle of running towards another direction when he stopped dead in his tracks. He moved his head to the left like he had just heard something. Taking off in a sprint, Lailah tailed him. She was supposed to be doing generators, but she just _had_ to know if Frank was actually Frank right now.

His panting got louder the faster he ran. How the hell was someone supposed to run that fast. She watched him vault over a window to get closer to his destination faster. Lailah continued to tail him the best that she was able. In the distance, she saw David and Feng on a generator. The moment they recognized Frank, they pulled off the generator. Worry engulfed her and her heart fell into her stomach when his blade sunk into David. He wiped his blood off on his sleeve and went and attacked Feng. She was wrong about Frank… Keeping him out of the equation was going to end up hurting her, but she was going to have to deal with it. Outside of the Trials, he might’ve been okay, but inside of them… he was a killer just like any of the others.

Frank turned in her direction. Lailah watched as he turned and headed to Jeff. His scream rang out as he was sliced as well. She watched her once best friend turn towards her and without hesitation; he vaulted through a window into the gas station she was hiding in and stopped in front of her; grunting in pain and staggering slightly. Her heartbeat was thundering and Frank’s was deafening. She turned to run, but Frank ended up grabbing onto her wrist just in time. It wasn’t painful, but he made it clear that she wasn’t going anywhere. She tugged against him, but Frank’s grip was steadfast. His panting was slowing, but he managed to choke out her name. It stopped her mid-struggle. She stared at him.

“Listen to me.” He choked out. “It’s still watching. I need to be as convincing as possible.”

“…”

“Tell them this: they will survive, but I need to put up a fight. The Entity needs to feed… I need two hooks a piece from each of you.”

Was Frank really telling her that she was going to have to try and convince her friends that he was doing this to fool The Entity? He hadn’t said anything and just slashed them without even trying. It was placing a lot of trust in Frank in order to keep his word with two hooks only. A single mishap and someone would lose their soul fragment. Lailah looked him up and down.

“… How can I trust that you’ll keep your word?” Lailah asked.

“You’ll just have to trust me. They’ll listen to you.” Frank let her wrist go and they stood a small distance from each other. 

“… You have to pretend, right?”

“I think it’ll help.”

“… Then hit me.” Lailah said.

Frank took a deep breath and sighed, turning his head just as he had when he headed towards that generator. He hesitated. She watched him raise his blade up and down a few times. A generator popped. It was the same one that David and Feng Min had been working on before. Frank grunted and dug his knife into her skin making her scream. Lailah held onto the length of her arm. Frank stared at the blood on his knife for a moment before looking away. She nodded and headed out of the gas station to try to find her friends. She ran into David and Feng Min first. Both were hiding in a corner close to the generator that they had just completed. Each of them looked worried.

“I knew we couldn’t trust ‘im!” David harsh whispered.

“There’s got to be an explanation.” Feng said. “I believe in Lailah’s judgement.”

“She’s bleedin’.”

“Listen. Frank needs to put up a fight. The Entity is surely watching. He’s going to let us leave, but we need to pretend that we’re terrified. We need to pretend to run away from him. If The Entity continuously puts Frank in a Trial and he doesn’t get to feed, then we’re all in trouble in the end.” Lailah explained the best that she was able and the quietest as the pistons almost drowned out her voice completely. “He needs us. We have to help each other.”

“… What do we have to do?” Feng asked, determination shining in her brown eyes.

“Two hooks each. Everything, but… there won’t be a third hook.”

“You ‘spect me to believe ‘hat?” David snorted.

“Please David…” Lailah said. “Do this for me. I can’t lose him to The Entity again…”

David grunted and looked down at the slash on her arm. Lailah didn’t follow his gaze and kept their eyes locked. He tilted his head back and sighed. She couldn’t help but smile when he merely nodded. Jeff’s scream rang in the distance and they all visibly cringed when he was thrust on a hook. Just the idea that they were going to go through that twice in this Trial willingly for her was a great leap of faith.

“I’ll go get Jeff. David, come with me to help. Feng, hop on a generator.” Lailah instructed.

David and Lailah ran towards where Jeff was at, making sure to keep Frank in the sights. If this happened too fast or too slow, The Entity would know. There was no doubt that it was watching. Jeff was hanging on the hook, groaning in pain. David helped their friend off the hook and Lailah put a finger over her lips and brought them to another corner. Jeff handed the kit to David. Both of them worked as fast as they were able to bandage their friend while explaining their situation. He gave a huff of a laugh and she knew that he wasn’t keen on the idea. After all, they had just got him off the hook. He wouldn’t be so ready to go back on it too soon. Lailah sighed and begged Jeff. He groaned and looked at David who nodded as well.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” He said. “If he fucks us over… I’m never trusting him again. For anything.”

“Noted.”

Another generator popped in the distance. Feng Min’s scream came next. The rest of them scattered. Frank’s heartbeat came closer and was pounding in her ears. He found Lailah and slashed at her. She cried out and ran from Frank. Looking over her shoulder, she watched Frank look after her and then down at his blade before heading in the direction of what she assumed was her friends. Somehow, in that feral frenzy, she was able to tell where the rest of her friends. Perhaps it was an innate killer instinct, but she refused to think of Frank as a killer to the bone. That was more up to Michael and Freddy’s speed.

Shattering the skys and scattering a murder of crows, she heard Jeff and David’s screams come next. David’s aura was the next to appear on the hook. Lailah found Feng and they both hopped on a generator. They only had three more to do. They could do this. _All_ of them. If they worked together, they could fool the very god of this realm. There was no telling how long and how many times this would work though, so they couldn’t slack. Feng was in the middle of bandaging herself. She instantly tried to switch to Lailah, but she shook her head. She waited by her friend until Feng was starting to work on her. She was quicker at it than Lailah, but she had been here longer as well. They headed to a closer generator. Both of them ended up hopping on it.

“Thanks Feng, for trusting me.” Lailah said.

“You haven’t failed me yet.” Feng smiled from over the generator. “You’ve helped us all.”

From behind, she heard Frank coming closer. She got off the generator and started to run while Feng stayed on it. He hesitated after her for a moment and slashed at Feng, making her run away from the generator. Lailah was hiding. If she could just get back to that generator, then they would only need two. He was coming closer and Lailah noticed a pallet. Her own heart beating wildly, she pulled it down, but Frank ended up stepping back just in time. A small huff came from him and he kicked the downed pallet before heading after her again. She took a sharp right and tried to vault through a window, but he was faster. He grabbed her halfway through and slung her over his shoulder. He turned and headed to a hook while Lailah struggled the best that she was able.

The instant that Frank slammed her on a hook, the generator that her and Feng Min had been working on popped leaving them with two left. She screamed and held onto the hook as she writhed. He stood in front of her for a moment before he started to leave. Her head hung and she started whimpering. This was so much pain. They had to get out of here… Frank took another look at her over his shoulder giving a small grunt before heading off. Lailah lifted her head and watched the auras of her friends. David was working on a generator while Jeff was hiding behind something. Feng Min was sprinting to come and save her. It was a welcome relief to see her. She was halfway from grabbing Lailah off the hook when Frank came from behind and picked her up. She screamed and started thrashing in his arms. Lailah was slid back down on the hook making her scream out again.

“Frank…” Lailah whimpered as tears fell down her face.

Feng’s scream shattered through the sky. Jeff was heading to Feng Min while David was heading over to her. If Frank wanted to, he could easily decimate them, but she watched him kick the generator that David had been on. Feng’s aura was gone and soon David helped her off the hook. David and her ran to where the generator was before its progress was set too far back. Jeff’s scream was next and his aura was struggling on the hook. Frank’s heartbeat was getting closer to them. Lailah was starting to think that he was able to somehow tell when at least two people were working on a generator. It was an absolute diabolical thing to be able to see. If the other three members of The Legion were able to see things the way that Frank was, there was no wonder why they were thrashed at Julie’s hands.

The generator popped just as Frank arrived. He slashed at David, sending him to the ground. Lailah was next. Both her and David lay on the ground. Her friend was picked up and slammed on another hook. The Entity came to collect its prize, but David struggled. Lailah was crawling away when Feng arrived. She kneeled down and started helping her up, but Frank ended up slashing her down too. Lailah looked at Frank and he picked her up. Kicking and screaming did nothing as she was thrust on the same hook that she had been on before. She screamed out and fended off the tendrils. Her arm was aching. Her whole body was. But she could do this. Feng came over, limping. David was bandaging himself while Jeff was working on the generator near him. They swapped. They must’ve realized that he was able to see the generator as well. Her friends were smart. It wasn’t a shock in reality. Feng Min grabbed her and she let out a loud sigh.

Feng Min started to bandage Lailah, but the heartbeat grew louder. Her friend shoved the med kit in her arms and she started to run. Frank gave chase without any hesitation. Lailah bandaged herself the best she could with her shaking hands. This was crazy. Feng screamed and was slammed on a hook just as the last generator popped. The gates were powered and Lailah looked around. It was do or die; literally. They all had two hooks. The trust between him and all her friends was dependent on his next moves.

Knowing that one of the others—most likely David—would end up going for Feng. Jeff and her could open each of the exit gates. The bulbs never turned on fast enough, even though their survival was guaranteed—supposedly—she was still terrified that The Entity would pick up on it and take Frank over. Then there was no hope for anyone. The gate opened and she saw David guarding Feng as they headed through the gate and out.

“Lailah, come on!” Feng called. She headed into the corridor leading back to the campfire. From behind, Frank stopped and groaned in pain. Her brows furrowed. No doubt the other gate was open and Jeff was gone. “Okay.”

Lailah followed after and watched Frank standing at the entrance. He turned and walked away. From behind, she was able to see him take a deep sigh. Was it relief? The moment that Feng and David went through the barrier, she turned around and headed outside, back to the center of the Trial area. She followed the heartbeat and found Frank looking around. He turned around and stopped instantly upon seeing her. The ground’s fissures were glowing red. They still had time.

“What are you doing?” Frank asked.

“What’s it look like?”

“It looks like you’re being fucking stupid.” He said. “C’mon Lailah, go!”

“No. I’ve seen what happens if I live over and over. I’m not going to let that happen to you again. If we’re going to do this, then I’ll be the one that stays behind.”

“No, absolutely not.” Frank muttered and took a step towards her.

Lailah didn’t waver. She stopped and placed a hand on his chest as he tried to pick her up. He stopped and looked at her. She pushed his hood down and he flinched slightly. Making sure to keep eye contact, she slowly pulled off his mask. Frank’s deep brown eyes stared into her own blue ones. There was so much sadness and guilt in them, it almost made her cry just looking at them. He looked like he was about to cry. She reached up a hand and touched his jaw. A sad smile crossed her lips. This was their life right now.

Frank placed his hand over hers. The tears were visible in her eyes now. They were blurring her vision. In these final moments, she wanted to be able to see him, so she let them fall. Her smile wavered slightly as her chin quivered. Lailah felt his jaw clench underneath her fingertips. The fissures in the ground continued to open further and the bright light continued to escape through them. His chest was heaving as he watched her. He must’ve had a better sense of when the Trial was going to end than her. His hand wrapped tighter around hers, almost squeezing to the point where it brought pain. His breathing was ragged and short. Almost on the brink of hyperventilation.

“It’s okay…” Lailah’s voice cracked as she spoke. Her thumb brushed up against his cheek.

The Entity’s tendrils shot up from the ground tearing her hand away from Frank as it impaled her. It gripped onto her and broke her bones as it cracked her around. Before the last claw stabbed through her head, she saw Frank had hung his head; looking completely defeated.

Lailah opened her eyes and held onto her head; the dull pain, a reminder that more of her soul had just been taken. Nausea rose up slightly. It almost always happened after being taken by the collapse. It impaled straight through the stomach so it only made sense that they got sick afterwards. She tried to push herself from the ground, but ended up having to get Quentin’s help. Once she was standing, he helped her to a space by Claudette that she could sit at. He gave her a small smile.

“The others said he’s trustworthy.” Quentin told her, his exhaustion evident in his voice.

“You sacrificed yourself again, didn’t you?” Feng asked.

“I’m not going to let Frank go through that again…” Lailah explained. “During Trials with Frank, I’ll stay behind.”

“The Entity really wants your soul for whatever reason. Do you think it’s a good idea to keep giving it fragments like that?” Quentin asked. “I mean, not all the killers are going to help us like him.”

“I don’t know if The Entity will let him slack off long enough to get through multiple Trials before taking him over. I don’t know how long it will wait at all.” Lailah grunted.

“Now that we know Frank is trustworthy, we are able to have a bit of relaxation on our part.” Adam said.

“You two are still close… he doesn’t want to sacrifice you. How did he react?” Quentin asked.

Lailah recalled how desperately he looked when he found out she was staying. He wanted to push her, throw her, or pull her back to the campfire, but she would fight every step of the way. His deep brown eyes looked so sad and depressed at the realization that she was going to do this each time they were forced into a Trial together. Even though it wasn’t verbalized, she knew that Frank was hating himself and blaming himself the whole time. He had tried so desperately to keep his cool, but he looked mere moments from breaking down the whole time. She sniffled and blinked.

“I think maybe you should go visit him.” Nancy suggested.

“I agree. If we’re going to have him on our side, we need his brain stable.” Nea said.

“Seeing you alive might help him.” Jane said gently.

Having Frank’s sanity still intact would help their plans a lot. Lailah also did need to see him. There was something that only he could do with helping them. It could potentially make things a lot easier for them in the long run. She stood up and nodded. Looking at all her friends, she knew how lucky she was to have them all trusting her enough to allow her friend to impale them on a hook twice to make sure that their plans would work. They hadn’t even known for sure; they really were each one of a kind. Lailah headed from the campfire and back into the cold forest.

How many more times would she end up having to walk over to Frank’s realm before they were able to go home? If she just knew that, she would feel a lot better. There was a lot that they needed to talk about. He had a direct connection with The Entity. If he was able to relay its condition to her, then she would know if they could be offensive with their plans or if they needed to play on the defensive for the moment. Having this sort of insider information may be the exact thing that Vigo and Benedict Baker were missing when they tried to escape. It wasn’t like they could go knock on The Entity’s door and ask it how it was feeling at that moment. If their death wasn’t assured, it might actually be pretty funny to see.

“Hurry… It will find out.” One of those voices came back as she was halfway to where Frank resided. “Be swift.”

“Save us… Save us all. Please.”

Her skin prickled in little goosebumps. Desperate to get rid of them and feel somewhat secure, she hugged herself and rubbed the skin. Considering it was snowing when she was pulled into the realm, she was wearing some winter clothes, but it mattered not in this place. The chill of the forest was unlike anything that was out there. It wasn’t a temperature, it was… something else. Something that she couldn’t explain. Lailah hurried her way to the Ormond Resort Realm and tried to block the voices out that kept calling for her and begging for help until they melded together into that tangled web.

Lailah took a deep breath and entered the realm. The surrounding area was bare of anyone. It seemed that all four were in the resort. Banging and other loud noises could be heard from the inside. If they were angry, the last thing that she needed to do was be caught. Looking around once more to make sure the coast was clear, she ducked behind a wall that was closer to the resort, but also far enough away to where she didn’t rouse suspicion.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Julie screamed.

“This is just fucking bullshit!” Frank yelled back.

“Frank, calm down!” Susie exclaimed.

“Shut up!”

“Don’t talk to her like that!” Julie defended.

“Frank, what’s gotten into you man?” Joey asked, heading to their leader. He waved his friend off and kicked a large piece of wood. “C’mon talk to us.”

“This place… it’s just so fucking stupid. We’re supposed to spend all eternity killing people that we don’t even know!? Why?!” He yelled. “What do we get out of it?!”

“We get to live…” Susie muttered.

“And there is someone that we know.” Julie’s voice held a wide smile.

“Leave Lailah the fuck alone.”

“ _Ooh,_ so it’s _Lailah_ now, hm?” Julie taunted. “Why should I?”

“Why are you so obsessed with her?”

“No, why are _you_ so obsessed with her?” Susie grabbed onto Julie’s arm, but she pulled it. “If you’ve got something to fucking say Frank, then say it!”

“I’m fucking tired of you attacking someone for nothing else other than your head is coming up with something that isn’t there!”

“That’s rich, Frank.” Julie scoffed and shoved Frank before heading to another part of the resort.

“… We’re killers, Frank. It’s what we do.” Joey said.

“We’re not like this, we have to get out of here.” Frank huffed.

“… I think we’re stuck here for good…” Susie whispered and headed off to go find her friend. Frank and Joey came outside.

“What happened, Frank?” Joey asked.

“… She died.” Frank leaned against the wall and wiped a hand down his face.

“Then you succeeded.” Joey said, tentative.

“I didn’t kill her. She sacrificed herself for me.” His voice was somewhat bitter. Frank’s face contorted to something that looked like he had just bit into a lemon.

“What? Why?”

“I… I don’t want to kill man. It’s not who I am. I’m a lot of things. A shitty person. A failure. Pathetic. Disappointment. All of that, but I’m not a killer. I didn’t form The Legion to kill. Just to terrorize. You know that, Joey.” Frank huffed.

“So your obsession basically killed herself for you.” Joey clarified.

“Yeah, I don’t want to kill the others, but… that’s easier. I-I just, I _can’t_ kill _her._ ”

“What’s so special about this girl?” Joey asked in a whisper.

“I told you about how I was in an orphanage until I was six. Lailah was there too. She was my only friend—my _best_ friend. I got adopted and I never saw her again. Not until about a year ago when I ran into her at the movie store. She’s… I just can’t.” Frank admitted.

“Frank, you’re talking like you’re in love with her.”

“…”

Lailah’s face reddened and her eyes widened. Frank? In love with _her_? In terms of looks, he was completely out of her league. Old friend or not, there were still standards. There was no way that he was in love with her. Yeah, he had just gotten into a fight with her, but he had a girlfriend. They’d been together for a bit, so they must love each other.

“Are you?”

“No, man. I love Jules. You know that.” Frank said. “I love Julie.”

Her brows furrowed. Why did she feel so strange? Surely she couldn’t be… No, they were just friends. It was just this whole place was confusing things. Just making things more difficult than they needed to be. Muddled feelings and even more muddled thoughts combined were making them think things that weren’t there. But, why did she feel… sad? There was no reason to be sad other than what was staring her in the face. What answer had she been expecting?

“That so?”

“I just… all I’ve ever wanted to do is protect her. That’s all I’ve ever done. Now, I can’t.”

“Who are you trying to convince? Me? Or yourself?” Joey asked. Lailah pulled back around her corner. Her heart started thumping wildly and her blood had turned cold. He had found her. There was no mistaking that they had locked gazes. Frank didn’t answer him and Joey merely sighed. “I’m heading back in. Take a walk. You need it.”

Hiding behind her wall, she closed her eyes and her mouth and throat were dry. She was so focused on the conversation between the two that she hadn’t checked to make sure that she was well hidden. Joey had _surely_ seen him. If he hadn’t, then was definitely blind. Was he going to tell Frank to talk a walk just so he could come around and try to kill her? If he took her by surprise, he would end up triumphing with no issue at all. Crunching snow grew further away while more came closer. Lailah exhaled shakily and took a deep breath. Peeking around the corner, she saw Frank with his hands shoved in his pockets. His face was still contorted in that sour expression, with a look that made her think he was beating himself up over it. He sighed and turned the corner. Lailah grabbed onto his jacket and pulled him towards her.

His expression was wild; panicked. It was like she had just trapped an animal that was worried for their life. It only lasted for a moment, but a moment was all she needed to see it. Frank had told her that he was bounced around from foster home to foster home throughout his life. What had happened to him to make him act like that? His eyes finally focused and he looked down. Lailah reached up and put her hand on his face again; just as gentle as she had done in the Trial.

Frank gripped onto her face with both his hands and leaned down. His forehead was pressed against hers. His rough thumbs ran along her cheekbones. Lailah listened as he sniffled and huffed. Her eyes closed and she let him hold onto her. There was no telling if this was going to be the last time that they were able to meet. His shaking breaths blew hot air onto her skin. Every now and again, she felt tears that were not her own against her cheeks. Lailah tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let go.

“I’m sorry…” Frank whispered through shaking breaths.

“It’s fine.”

Frank finally pulled away just enough to where there was enough space to breathe between them. He continued to hold her face, his eyes red and his eyelashes wet. It was the first time in her whole life, that she had ever seen Frank cry. It wasn’t something that she wanted to repeatedly see. His eyes traveled over every inch of her face, almost like he was trying to memorize each speck.

“Why won’t you let me protect you?” Frank managed to speak.

“It’s not your job.” Lailah put her hand over his that rest on her face.

“It is. I promised you.” Frank whispered. “I said I would _always_ protect you.”

“You have.”

“I—”

“Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

Frank looked down at her and leaned down, holding onto her face. He paused for a moment and exhaled a shaking sigh. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. His clothes smelled like rain and snow. Also like dirt. She was sure that she didn’t smell any better, but that didn’t matter. She felt safe. Right in the middle of killer territory; she felt safe. Lailah gripped onto the back of his jacket.

“I thought I lost you. For good this time.” Frank admitted.

“No. I’m here.”

“Please, don’t do that anymore.”

“I’m not going to let it use you again.” Lailah said. “Like I said, it’s my turn.”

“… Lailah—”

“I came here to see you. To know it’s okay— _I’m_ okay.”

Frank finally let go of her and she was able to fully look at him. His eyes were still red and his eyelashes; wet. However, she pretended not to notice. Men usually didn’t like it when them crying was brought up. Besides, as much as she enjoyed spending time with him, she needed to get back to her friends. Hesitating for a moment, Frank reached up and pet her hair.

“Whatever you’re going to do, you need to do it quick. Things are getting hectic around here.”

“They are? What do you mean?” Lailah asked.

“There’s a lot of chatter. The Entity is… well, the best way I can describe it is elated.”

“Why?”

“… It got more of your soul.” Frank looked at her with a pained expression. “But, it’s not going to spoil itself.”

“That’s a relief…”

“It talks about how yours tastes different. Tastes… pure.”

“That’s… weird.” Lailah admitted with a huff of a laugh.

“We can hear it after Trials. It talks, whispers, chatters. All that jazz. It gets excited over certain Trials. The ones where it gets you is its favorite. But its _absolute_ favorite is when I give you to it.” Frank said.

“I need you to do me a favor, Frank.”

“Name it.”

Lailah was worried. What if The Entity was watching them right now? The thought was always there, making her wonder what the hell was going to happen to not just her but to Frank as well if it found out. However, wouldn’t it make sense for it to have already punished them if it was able to hear them right now.

_“Go on. Quickly.”_ A voice appeared in her head, making Lailah look around.

“What’s wrong?”

“Did you hear that?”

“What?” Frank looked around.

_“It hungers. It demands to know. Make haste!”_

“…” Lailah narrowed her eyes and turned back to Frank. “I’m going to come and visit you after every Trial that I’m in. I need you to keep me updated on The Entity’s behavior. I especially need to know what the hell it does after one with me and you.”

“What? Why?”

“Will you do it or not?”

“I mean, of course I will, but—”

“Thank you, Frank. Don’t tell _anyone_ about this. Keep it to yourself.”

“Lailah—”

“Promise me, Frank.” Lailah insisted. She needed to get as much information out there as she possibly could right now.

“… Yeah. I promise.”

“Thank you. My friends and I have an idea. A thought.”

“A plan?” Frank raised his brows.

_“You’re running out of time.”_

“… Sort of. I can’t tell you the details.” Lailah watched Frank visibly deflate. “Not because I don’t trust you. It can hear. Just do this for me. Later, I’ll have everything explained.”

“Promise me.” Frank demanded.

“I do. I promise.”

“Lailah—”

_“You must leave. It awakens.”_

“Frank, I have to go.”

“But—”

“I’ll be back.” Lailah said. She gave Frank a quick hug before heading towards the exit.

“Be careful… please. For me…”

Lailah left The Legion’s realm and exhaled. Who was that voice? It didn’t sound human. While it didn’t really talk, she knew what it was saying. She sighed and looked back at Frank’s little pocket of the realm. As she headed back to the campfire, her thoughts drifted back to when Frank saw her. He had held her so close; so intimately. It had just been about comforting her friend in the moment. Now that she was looking back on it; the way his hands gripped her face, his forehead against hers, the way he looked at her face… Lailah’s face turned a bright red and she touched her cheeks. They were hot. No. No. Absolutely not. This wasn’t the time, _definitely_ not the place, and he wasn’t the person for those feelings to be growing for. This place was crazy and confusing. They were acting strange. They just craved something familiar. She just couldn’t get his deep brown eyes and the way they looked at her out of her mind.

“Lailah!”

“W-What?” She blinked and saw she had returned to the campfire.

_Did I just… think about Frank all the way back to the campfire?_

Clearing her throat, she looked around. All of her friends were staring at her in some form of confusion or the other.

“We’ve been trying to talk to you.” Nancy said.

“Sorry, I was spaced out.” Lailah touched her cheeks and cleared her throat again. “What is it?”

“What did Frank say?” Quentin asked.

“ _Why won’t you let me protect you?”_

“He’s going to help us.” Lailah said.

“Cool.” Steve exhaled a soft sigh. “We have a killer’s insight.”

“Now we can focus on trying to find the entrance to the void.” Adam said. “Once the next Trial begins, we need to divide into groups and head into the forest.”

As if on cue, smoke swirled around Kate, Tapp, Quentin, and Meg’s legs. Lailah frowned slightly. Once her friends disappeared, she looked at everyone else. With every second counting, they divvied into groups. Claudette, Adam, Lailah, and David were pulled into one group that was charged with looking for clues inside Vigo’s shack. Just as they were about to head out, Adam stopped them.

“Let us take a packet of the Auric cells.”

“What? Why?” Lailah asked.

“Thanks to that paper, it was discovered that this place is full of those cells. In the air. Around us. This realm is made of them. If they can lead us to something that we were unable to find before without them, it’s worth a shot.”

“Fair enough.” Claudette said and grabbed a pouch before heading out.

They walked through the forest towards where they recalled Vigo’s shack being. Her mind drifted back to Frank. She was supposed to be focused on the task at hand, but she couldn’t stop wondering about him. Was he alright? What would happen if The Entity found out? What was going to happen between him and Julie? It seemed that they were having issues. As for Joey, he had to have seen her. Did he deliberately ignore her and let Frank talk to her? Their interactions were definitely more than talking, but they hadn’t done anything serious. There were a lot of things that could’ve been done or said, but they had just held and calmed each other. Lailah felt her face turning pink again just as the wind picked up. Wind burn here was really painful. She blinked, trying to focus on the task at hand.

Adam led them to the shack and they walked inside. It was just as dusty and creepy as she remembered. The last time they were here, they were focusing on things that they could see with their eyes without outside assistance. Lailah wasn’t sure what the Auric cells were supposed to do, but having them here might come in handy. All of them picked a side of the shack and started flipping through books. A couple literally disintegrated into dust the moment they were open. Lailah couldn’t help but worry that one of those books contained the answers that they would need. Luck hadn’t really been on their side—save a few small instances—why would it start now?

Lailah couldn’t say how long they searched. By the time they were done, the shack looked like a tornado had went through it. There were pages here and there that affirmed some things they already knew; such as the world was rich in auric particles. There were some things that they needed to break through with. Just a single breakthrough. Claudette sighed and looked at the alchemy set on the table. Her eyes were narrowed, focused on every inch of it. She jumped when she heard her friend gasp. Turning, she could see the lightbulb that went off in her head. Whatever plan Claudette had would be great. She was smart.

“What is it, Claudette?” Adam asked.

“The Auric cells. What if we tried to use them on the alchemy set?”

“Uh… What’s ‘hat gon’ do?” David asked. “Shows people their memories dinnit?”

“Yeah. But some people believe that within time people embed memories into inanimate objects. If Vigo played around with this alchemy set enough, there could be some form of memory stashed in this.”

“Interesting.” Adam said and handed the pouch to Claudette. They started vibrating and murmuring when it was open. “Seems they’re excited.”

Claudette held the pouch and dumped one onto the alchemy set. It gave a small sound that reminded Lailah of someone accepting something. It ended up melding into the alchemy set. The four of them watched for a moment before a form appeared at the set. It was bubbling with a yellow and red liquid.

“I told myself that I would not partake of the flower until I desperately needed it, until I felt I was starting to lose myself, but I can no longer resist the siren’s call it sings to me.” Vigo’s apparition sighed and looked at the flower that was boiling. His gaze turned back to something that looked like a paper on the desk. He dipped a quill into some ink and scratched on it. “There are many things I told myself. Many promises I made to myself that I have failed to keep. No matter where I search, it eludes me. It is like the Fountain of Youth that eluded Ponce de León. The only difference; I got a taste of what León sought. His prize. Fate and Karma are some of the cruelest mistresses, however. Even as I brag that I have obtained what he has not, I am trapped by my quest to find more. Such is the fate of an adventurer I suppose.”

All four of them crowded around Vigo’s apparition. It looked like… a map. It was crudely drawn and there were scrawls everywhere, but he seemed to understand what he was looking at. It was also difficult to interpret it as it was a memory and small details were faded. Her brows furrowed as she watched Vigo. The man sighed and ended up kicking a pile of books that had once been there.

“Keep your head. You will prevail.”

The memory disappeared. Everyone stared at Claudette. It was an excellent idea. Getting anywhere in this place, you needed to think outside of the box. It was a miracle that The Entity hadn’t taken Claudette and they lucked out enough to have her here. She took out another and dropped it back onto the alchemy set.

Vigo appeared once more, but this time he looked more distressed. He was pacing back and forth in front of the alchemy set. He was muttering to himself, so quiet that was hard to understand. One word was prevalent though; he kept muttering about the flower. The liquid that had been present in the set was gone now. He looked at his wits end. There was no rehab here in this realm either. What kind of rehab could be issued for having an addiction that literally changes your physiology as well as you psychology?

“No matter how many times I look, I see nothing.” Vigo muttered, slamming his hands on the desk where the set was at. The glassware shook and Claudette instinctively reached to catch it. They watched as he hung his head. “Just one more time… I need to peer into that endless pool of knowledge. It always ends too fucking quick!”

Vigo let out a scream of rage and flung some books from the bookshelf to their right. He took a deep breath through his nose and ran his fingers through his hair. All the scrawlings that were given to them about Vigo weren’t exaggerations, he really was losing his mind trying to find this flower. He pinched the bridge of his nose. The apparition gave a small gasp and Lailah had the split thought that he somehow might’ve noticed them. Watching such lifelike memories could mess with you. Vigo reached over by his bed and moved a floorboard. Underneath, he grabbed that piece of paper and went to his desk. He looked around the paper and grabbed his quill and started giving small hysterical laughs.

“I know you’re there. I _know_.” Vigo murmured as she scratched a circle into the paper. It ripped in a couple of places, but he didn’t mind. He rolled it up and stashed it under the floorboard. He walked through them with the last words, “I will look into The Void. If it continues to stare back, I will not avert my gaze. I will get what I want. I have come too far to stop now.”

The Auric cells calmed down and their vibrating stopped. Lailah looked at the others. David went over to the floorboard and pulled it up with a loud grunt. It was a good thing he came with. They wouldn’t have been able to lift that without him. Lailah reached into the pit and pulled out a box. Inside the box decorated with an ornate _V_ was a piece of paper. She stood up and opened it in front of everyone else. It really was a map. The outlying areas were crudely written with a quill pen. There were places that were circled and then crossed off. That wasn’t what shocked her though. The last place that Vigo had circled had to be the entrance to The Void.

“We found it!” Claudette exclaimed.

“This is bad…” Lailah muttered.

“I do not understand.” Adam said.

Lailah pointed to a small pathway by where the circle was. They were less than twenty paces from each other. Things just got really bad, really fast. No amount of luck was going to help them right now.

“That’s the last known place of Benedict Baker.” Lailah said.

“There’s the entrance to The Void.” Claudette said, pointing to the circle.

“There sits Vigo.” Adam concluded, pointing to an empty spot between the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! Frank and Lailah in this chapter gave me a lot of feelings. I was glad to be able to bring more life to Vigo than what we've currently seen from Behaviour. I genuinely hope that you all enjoyed it. Let me know what you think, and thank you once again for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much! Let me know what you think! <3


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